592 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



from the Continent or brought in ships. Toward the south of 

 France it is plentiful enough, as is needed from, the enormous 

 multitudes of crop - destroying caterpillars on which it feeds. 

 There is, however, a closely allied speqies, Calosoma inquisitor, 

 which is not so scarce, and, although comparatively seldom seen, 

 may be captured by those who know where to look for it. I 

 have taken it in Bayley Wood, near Oxford. 



The reader may remember that two species of wasp, namely, 

 Vespa vulgaris and Vespa, germanica, will work harmoniously at 

 the same nest. This curious sociability, which is contrary to the 

 usual custom of nature, is shared by moths as well as wasps. 

 When experimenting upon the nests of this species, M. E^aumur 

 found that several distinct broods of caterpillars would spin a 

 common web and live in peace together, just as if they had been 

 the offspring of one mother. Mr. Eennie, however, carried the 

 experiments still farther, and found that two different species 

 would act in the same social manner. 



"We ourselves ascertained during the present summer (1829) 

 that this principle of sociality is not confined to the same species, 

 nor even to the same genus. The experiment which we tried 

 was to confine two broods of different species to the same branch, 

 by placing it in a glass of water to prevent their escape. The 

 caterpillars which we experimented upon were several broods of 

 the brown-tailed moth {Porthesia auriflua) and the lackey {Clisio- 

 campa neustria). These we found to work with as much industry 

 and harmony in constructing their common tent as if they had 

 been at liberty in their native trees; and when the lackeys en- 

 countered the brown-tails they manifested no alarm or uneasiness, 

 but passed over the backs of one another as if they had made only 

 a portion of the branch. 



" In none of their operations did they seem to be subject to 

 any discipline, each individual appearing to work in perfecting 

 the structure from individual instinct, in the same manner as was 

 remarked by M. Huber in the case of the hive-bees. In making 

 such experiments, it is obvious that the species of caterpillars ex- 

 perimented with must feed upon the same sort of plant." 



One remark ought to be made on this interesting narrative. 

 The author lays some stress on the fact that the two insects be- 

 longed not only to different species, but to different genera. It 

 must, however, be remembered that, although the distinction of 



