270 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



ably recall to mind, during the perusal of the following pages, that 

 several admirable examples of pensile nest-makers are not men- 

 tioned. The reason for their temporary omission is, that some 

 of them make their nests of mud, and will therefore be described 

 under the head of Builders ; while others make their joint homes 

 on so large a scale that they will be considered under the head of 

 Social Nest-makers. 



Upon the large illustration will be seen several examples of 

 pensile nests ; and, as many Australian insects are remarkable for 

 the beauty and singularity of the pensile nests which they build, 

 I have selected three of the most remarkable instances for illus- 

 tration. Adhering to the principle which has been followed 

 throughout the work, the scene of the drawing has been laid in 

 Australia, and the general contour of the country, the peculiar 

 foliage, the animals which enliven the scene, and the singular 

 manner in which a wooded district is often dotted with trees, 

 have been carefully represented. 



In the upper corner of the drawing is seen the large nest of a 

 remarkable ant, called Or emaiog aster Iceviceps. l'do not know 

 whether this species has any particular name, but in the Brazils 

 an allied species goes by the name of Negro-head Ant, because the 

 nest is round, like the bullet-shaped head of a Negro, and is cov- 

 ered on the exterior with little projections that are supposed to 

 resemble the close woolly hair. 



. When the ant runs about, it has a curious habit of holding its 

 abdomen so high in the air that it curves over the back and over- 

 hangs the thorax, a peculiarity which has earned for the genus 

 the name of Crematogaster, or " hanging-belly." At first sight 

 the nest bears a close resemblance to the pensile habitation of cer- 

 tain wasps, but when subjected to a nearer examination it proves 

 to be even more complicated, being composed of multitudinous 

 curved and intricate ramifications, all leading to the interior gal- 

 leries and cells. 



There are other ants which have the habit of carrying the ab- 

 domen erect, such as Myrmica Kirbii, and Formica elata. The 

 former of these insects makes its nest in the branches of trees, and 

 composes it of cowdung, having the art of spreading that singular 

 material into thin flaky masses, which overlap each other like the 

 tiles of a house. There is a separate roof to the nest which is 

 partly dome-like, and projects on all sides beyond the circumfer- 



