}6o STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



CHAPTKR XXX. 



BRANCH-BUILDERS. 



SPIDERS AND INSECTS. 



Remarkable Spider Nests in the British Museum — Seed-nests and Leaf-nests — 

 Nest of the ICARIA — The equal pressure and excavation theories — Nest of 

 MiscHOCYTTARUS and its remarkable form — Nest of the Raphigaster— 

 Summary of the Argument— The Processionary Moth— Reasons for its 

 name — How the larvae march — Damage done by them to trees — The social 

 principle among Caterpillars — Mr. Rennie's experiments — The Lackey 

 Moth — Supposed derivations of its popular name — The eggs, larvae, and 

 perfect insects — Habits of the Moth — The Brown-tailed Moth— Locality 

 where it is found — Its ravages abroad — The Apoica and its remarkable nests 

 — Moth Nests from Monte Video. 



We have already seen several nests built by Spiders, some of 

 which are made in the earth, others are strictly pensile, and 

 others may fairly come into the present group. The specimens 

 from which the drawings were made are in the collection of the 

 British Museum, some in the upper and others in the lower 

 rooms. Of the architects, the manner in which the nests were 

 made, and the reasons why they were so singularly constructed, 

 I can say nothing, because no record is attached to the speci- 

 mens. Still, they are so curious that they have found a place 

 in this work, and it is to be hoped that the very fact of their 

 publicity will induce travellers to search for more specimens 

 and to describe their history. 



Differing as they do in shape, colour, and material, they have 

 one object in common, namely, the rearing of the young. They 

 are clearly nests in the true sense of the word, being devoted 

 not to the parents, but to the offspring. At the upper part of 

 the illustration may be seen a number of long, spindle-shaped 

 bodies, suspended from a branch. These are drawn about half 



