600 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



It is hardly possible to overrate the wonderful varieties of 

 form that are assumed by the nests of insects — varieties so bold 

 and so startling that few would believe in the possibility of their 

 existence without ocular demonstration. No rule seems to be 

 observed in them ; at all events, no rule has as yet been discov- 

 ered by which their formation is guided, neither has any conjec- 

 ture been formed as to the reason for the remarkable forms which 

 they assume. 



Perhaps, of all the nests in the splendid collection of the Brit- 

 ish Museum, there are none that cause so much surprise as the 

 wonderful group which is represented in this illustration. Many 



Apoica. 



persons pass through the room, and even take some notice of the 

 various nests with which they are surrounded, but they seldom 

 notice the peculiarities of this group until pointed out to them. 

 When, however, their attention is directed toward it, they never 



