An Indian Building Insect. 



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and one and a quarter wide ; while the insect itself, as may be 

 seen by the figure, is considerably less than an inch in length. 

 Only one insect does the work ; in fact, the species appears to 

 be solitary in its habits. The nest, when the cells are quite 

 empty, weighs nearly two ounces, and is composed entirely of 

 a hard mud, mixed up with little bits of gravel and grit, and 

 cemented together by some secretion, until it becomes so hard 

 that a knife can with difficulty cut it open. 



Fig. 1. — Smooth side of nest, which is fixed to beam or wall, showing sections 



of the first row of cells. 



Fig-. 2. — Outside view of nest. 



Figs. 1, 2, 3, show the nest from different points of view. 

 In the one I have before me for examination there was an 

 unfinished cell e, which appeared to have been joined on to 

 the structure after the nest was completed. As will be seen 

 by Fig. 3, this nest consisted of ten cells, including e. From 

 ten to twelve is the usual number, but I have occasionally seen 



