372 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Trypoxylon and Pelopseua. 



neatly turned over, that the observer is irresistibly reminded of 

 the neck of a glass bottle. The insect makes quite a number of 

 these nests, sometimes fastening them to branches, as shown in 

 the illustration, but as frequently fixing them to beams of houses. 

 It has a great fancy for the corners of verandas, and builds there- 

 in whole rows of cells, buzzing loudly the while, and attracting 

 attention by the noise which it makes. 



The lower insect is the pretty Pelopceus fistularis, with its yel- 

 low and black banded body. Both the insects, as well as their 

 houses, are represented of the natural size. 



The cell of the Pelopreus is larger than that of the preceding in- 

 sect, and occupies much more time in the construction, a week at 

 least being devoted to the task. She sets to work very methodi- 

 cally, taking a long time in kneading the clay, which she rolls 

 into little spherical pellets, and kneads for a minute or two before 

 she leaves the ground. She then flies away with her load, and 

 adds it to the nest, spreading the clay in a series of rings, like the 

 courses of bricks in a circular chimney, so that the edifice soon 

 assumes a rudely cylindrical form. 



When she has nearly completed her task, she goes off in search 

 of creatures wherewith to stock the nest, and to serve as food for 

 the young, and selects about the most unpromising specimens that 



