^3^4 THE PHILOSOPHY 



third. They are not all of the fame length. Some of them are 

 five lines long, others only four, and their diameters feldom exceed 

 two lines. Sometimes only two of thefe cells are joined together ; 

 and, at other times, we find three or four, which form a kind of 

 cylinder. This cylinder is compofed of alternate bands of two dif- 

 ferent colours : Thofe of the narroweft, at the jundure of two cells, 

 are white, and thofe of the broadeft are of a reddifh brown. The 

 cells confift of a number of fine membranes, formed of a glutinous 

 and tranfparent fubftance from the animal's mouth. Each cell our 

 bee fills with the farina of flowers diluted with honey, and in this 

 pafte (he depofits an egg. She then covers the cell, by gluing to its 

 mouth a fine cellular fubftance taken from the leaves of fome plant ; 

 and in this manner fhe proceeds till her cylindrical neft is completed. 

 The worms which are hatched from the eggs feed upon the pafte, 

 fo carefully laid up for them by the mother, till they are transformed 

 into flies fimilar to their parents. 



Among wafps, as well as bees, there are folitary fpecies, which 

 carry on no joint operations. Thefe folitary wafps are not lefs in- 

 genious in conftrudting proper habitations for their young, nor lefs 

 provident in laying up for them a ftore of nourifhment fufficient to 

 fupport them till they are transformed into flies, or have become 

 perfed animals *. But, to give a detailed defcription of their ope- 

 rations would lead us into a prolixity of which the plan of our work 

 does not admit. 



On this fubjedt, however, it cannot efcape obfervation, that all the 

 fagacity and laborious induftry exerted in the various inftances of 

 animal architecture above defcribed, have one uniform tendency. 

 They are all defigned for the multiplication, protedion, and nou- 

 rifhment 



• See page 128. 



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