﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  281 
  

  

  dry 
  and 
  would 
  come 
  up 
  in 
  quite 
  large 
  pieces 
  holding 
  the 
  chamber?, 
  

   but 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  much 
  above 
  the 
  surface. 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  Van 
  Slyke 
  

   found 
  on 
  May 
  T5th, 
  the 
  chambers 
  very 
  abundant 
  at 
  New 
  Baltimore, 
  dis- 
  

   tributed 
  over 
  a 
  fifty-acre 
  lot 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  brush 
  and 
  small 
  growth 
  had 
  

   been 
  burned 
  about 
  three 
  weeks 
  before. 
  Over 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  there 
  

   were 
  about 
  eigl:t 
  to 
  ten 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot, 
  while 
  in 
  places, 
  nearly 
  three 
  

   times 
  as 
  many 
  could 
  be 
  counted 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  space. 
  Frequently 
  they 
  

   crowded 
  one 
  another, 
  and 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  had 
  been 
  fastened 
  together 
  

   in 
  their 
  building. 
  Very 
  few 
  of 
  any 
  height 
  were 
  built 
  erect 
  : 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  

   curved 
  slightly 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  the 
  cavity 
  

   toward 
  its 
  end 
  was 
  nearly 
  horizontal. 
  They 
  varied 
  in 
  height 
  from 
  i^ 
  to 
  

   2)}i 
  inches; 
  in 
  breadth 
  from 
  i 
  to 
  i^^ 
  inches; 
  general 
  height 
  2 
  inches; 
  

   diameter 
  inside 
  S/^ 
  inch, 
  rarely 
  y^ 
  inch. 
  (Pis. 
  X 
  to 
  XIII.)* 
  

  

  About 
  80 
  examples 
  of 
  these 
  interesting 
  structures, 
  representing 
  their 
  

   peculiar 
  forms 
  and 
  varied 
  material, 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  Collection, 
  from 
  

   the 
  following 
  localities 
  : 
  

  

  North 
  Fakins, 
  Knox 
  Co., 
  Missouri; 
  Rahway, 
  N. 
  J.; 
  the 
  following 
  

   New 
  York 
  localities; 
  Rural 
  Cemetery 
  near 
  Albany, 
  Bath-cn-Hudson, 
  

   New 
  Baltimore, 
  New 
  Scotland, 
  Athens, 
  Poughkeepsie 
  and 
  Nyack. 
  

  

  In 
  New 
  Jersey 
  they 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Smith 
  from 
  several 
  localities. 
  

   At 
  Port 
  Elizabeth 
  a 
  recently 
  burned 
  tract 
  of 
  100 
  acres 
  was 
  covered 
  

   with 
  the 
  buildings. 
  They 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Orange 
  Mountains 
  

   back 
  of 
  Montclair, 
  on 
  the 
  Palisades 
  above 
  Fort 
  Lee, 
  at 
  Closter, 
  Demarest, 
  

   Cresskill, 
  Englewood 
  and 
  New 
  Durham. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  above- 
  

   ground 
  chambers 
  was 
  not 
  reported 
  in 
  Connecticut. 
  

  

  Construction 
  of 
  the 
  Chambers. 
  

   The 
  chambers 
  are 
  constructed 
  by 
  the 
  pupse 
  with 
  soft 
  pellets 
  

   of 
  clay 
  or 
  mud 
  brought 
  up 
  from 
  below 
  and 
  pressed 
  firmly 
  into 
  

   place. 
  On 
  examination 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  well 
  rounded 
  and 
  

   firmly 
  and 
  rather 
  smoothly 
  compacted 
  within, 
  although 
  the 
  marks 
  

   of 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  the 
  pupae 
  are 
  plainly 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  Leaves 
  and 
  

   sticks 
  are 
  often 
  incorporated 
  in 
  the 
  outer 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  v/alls. 
  Mr. 
  

   Lander, 
  of 
  Nyack, 
  has 
  recorded 
  that 
  in 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  his 
  garden, 
  open 
  

   towers 
  only 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  inch 
  in 
  height 
  were 
  built 
  with 
  no 
  attempt 
  at 
  

   roofing 
  them 
  over. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  to 
  know 
  whether 
  

   or 
  not 
  the 
  process 
  was 
  suddenly 
  interrupted 
  by 
  some 
  nocturnal 
  prowler 
  

   devouring 
  the 
  little 
  builders. 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  These 
  plates 
  are 
  views 
  taken 
  for 
  me 
  at 
  this 
  locality 
  through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  

   Byington, 
  of 
  Albany. 
  

  

  