206 THE UNIVERSE. 



In those countries where the mason-bees are very rare, 

 their nests are isolated, or there are only a few alongside 

 of each other. They are often met with in the hollows of 

 stones or the flu tings of columns. I found some solitary on 

 different monuments in Italy ; they were adherent to pillars, 

 and constructed of little stones agglutinated together by a 

 very fine mortar. They were extremely solid. 



In Egypt, where the mason-bees are very common, we 

 find in many monuments numerous clusters of their nests. 

 The roofs of some of the ancient subterranean temples are 

 sometimes entirely covered by them. They are so heaped 

 and piled up, one upon another, that they hang from the 

 ceilings like the stalactites of our caverns. But these nests 

 are not built with little stones; in imitation of the fellahs of 

 Upper Egypt, the mason-bee constructs its abode with the 

 mud of the Nile. 



The ceiling of an apartment in a temple at the island of 

 Philse, in which I bivouacked for some days, was completely 

 hidden from view by these nests ! While I was lying down, 

 I saw those lizards which attach themselves so adroitly to 



the slightest asperities on the walls 

 running about in the midst of them 

 with surprising activity. These were 

 geckoes, which darted on the young 



104. Paper-Making Wasps : < 



Vespa niduians. bees as they issued from their abodes, 



or devoured the larvae when any crack or opening in the 

 nest enabled them to reach them. 



But if any insect merit the palm of architecture, it must 

 certainly be awarded to the paper-making wasp ( Vespa 

 niduians, Fabricius). It builds abodes much more ingenious 



