442 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



a monkey seems to be in the height of enjoyment if a newly- 

 killed bird be put into its paws. It always begins by eating the 

 brain, and then tears the carcass to pieces with great deliberation. 

 A mouse is quite as much appreciated as a bird, provided that it 

 has been recently killed, and that the blood has not congealed. 



However, the structure of the nest forms an insurmountable 

 barrier to the snake, and the monkey can only reach a few of the 

 cells which are near the edge. The worst enemies are certain 

 little parrakeets, which are delighted to be able to procure nests 

 without the trouble of building them, and which are apt to take 

 possession of the cells and oust the rightful owners. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

 SOCIAL INSECTS. 



Arrangement of Groups. — Nests of Poltbia. — Curious Methpd of Enlargement. — 

 Structure of the Nests. — How concealed. — Various Modes of Attachrnent. — A cu- 

 rious Specimen. — The Hive-bee, and its claims to Notice. — General Histpry of 

 the Hive. — Form of the Cells. — The royal Cell, its Structure and Use. — Uses of 

 the ordinary Cells. — Structure of the Bee-cell. — Economy of Space. — How pro- 

 duced. — Theories of different Mathematicians. — Measurement of Angles. — A log- 

 arithmic Table corrected by the Bee-cell. — The "Lozenge" a key to the Cell. — 

 How to form it. — Beautiful mathematic Proportions of the Lozenge. — Method of 

 Making the Cell or a Model. — Conjectured Analogy between the Cell and certain 

 Crystals. — Effect of the Cell upon Honey. — ^The Hoknet and its Nest. — Its fa- 

 vorite Localities. — Difficulties of taking a Homefs Nest. — Habits of the Insect.-:— 

 Mr. Stone's Method of taking the Nest. — The Stnosca and its Habitation. — ^Beau- 

 tiful Nests in the British Museum. — Description of the Insect. — Nest of the Etr- 

 CHEiRA. — Its external Form. — Curious Discovery in Dissection. — A suspended 

 Colony. — Conjectures respecting the Structure. — Nest from the Oxford Museum. 

 — Remarkable Form of its Doors, and Material of which it is made. — The Small 

 Ermine Moth and its Eavages. — Its large social Habitation. — General Habits of 

 the Larva. — Why the Sparrow does not eat them. — ^The Gold-tailed Moth and 

 its beautiful social Nest. — Description of a Specimen from Wiltshire. — Illustration 

 of theTheoiy of Heat. — The Beown-tailed Moth and its Nest. — Social Habita- 

 tions of the Peach and Small Toktoise-shell BuTTEErnES. 



After the Social Birds come the Social Insects, to which the 

 following chapter is dedicated. 



The reader will prqbably have noticed that several insects, es- 

 pecially those of the hymenopterous order, seem to have been 

 omitted in previous chapters, although they might fairly claim ad- 

 mission into the ranks of Builders, Pensiles, Burrowers, and Sub- 

 aquatics. The fact is, that some of them unite the characteristics 



