252 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



joint homes on so large a scale that they will be considered 

 under the head of Social Nest-makers. 



Upon the large illustration will he 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 

 illustration. 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 comer of the drawing is seen the large nest of a 

 remarkable ant, called Cremcdogasler Iceviceps. I 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 covered on the exterior with little projections that are sup- 

 posed to resemble the close woolly hair. 



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

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

 overhangs 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 certain wasps, but when subjected to a nearer examination it 

 proves to be even more complicated, being composed of multi- 

 tudinous curved and intricate ramifications, all leading to the 

 interior galleries and cells. 



There are other ants which have the habit of carrying the 

 abdomen erect, such as Myrmica Kirhii, 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 domelike, and projects on all sides beyond 

 the circumference of the nest. The latter insect fixes its nest 

 in the thicker branches, and forms it of mixed mud and leaves. 



At the foot of the illustration is seen another rounded nest. 



