THE TATUA MOBIO. 275 



In the accompanying illustration may be seen two specimens 

 of a remarkable pensile nest that is made by a wasp called Tatua 

 morio, an insect which is notable for having the basal segment of 

 the abdomen narrowed" into long and slender footstalks, not un- 

 like that of the Bumenes, and others. 



The nest of this species is made of the papery substance used 

 by many wasps, except that the material is so hard and smooth 



as to resemble white cardboard. The general form of the nest i^ 

 shown in the engraving, being somewhat like a sugar-loaf, ^. e., a 

 round-topped cone with a flat bottom. It is found in several 

 parts of Central America ; and in Guiana the nest goes by the 

 popular name of " the Dutchman's pipe," being supposed to bear, 

 in shape and dimensions, some resemblance to the pipe-bowl cele- 

 brated by Washington Irving. The exterior walls are so hard, 



