168 nature's teachings. 



In these nests the combs are arranged horizontally, and not 

 vertically, like those of the bees, and in consequence they have 

 to be supported in some way. This object is achieved by 

 means of multitudinous pillars made of the same papier-mache 

 of which the combs are formed, and attached to the successive 

 rows of combs. There is, however, one curious point of 

 difference between the Wasp-comb and human architecture, 

 namely, that the pillars do not support floors, or rest upon 

 them, but sustain the weight of those which hang from them. 

 The mouths of the cells are all downwards, and the combs are 

 therefore suspended from the pillars, instead of being supported 

 by them. 



Tunnel Entrance to the Dwelling. 



We have already found occasion to treat of the snow-house, 

 or igloo, of the Esquimaux, and have now to speak of a sub- 

 sidiary, though necessary, part of Esquimaux architecture. 



Perhaps the reader may have been unfortunate enough to 

 travel by rail in the depth of winter, and to be associated with 

 fellow-passengers who will insist on closing every window, 

 even though the carriage be crowded. Suppose that on such 

 a day, the weather being perfectly fine, the train stops at a 

 station, and the guard outside opens the door to see if another 

 passenger can be accommodated with a place. 



No sooner is the door opened than a shower of snow at 

 once fills the carriage. This is simply the moisture suspended 

 in the air and generated by human lungs. The rush of cold 

 air at once freezes this moisture and converts it into snow, thus 

 showing those who will condescend to learn, that they have 

 been breathing and re-breathing the air that has passed through 

 a variety of human lungs, and is charged with their different 

 moistures. I have seen the same phenomenon at a dinner 

 party, where, after the withdrawal of the ladies, one of the 

 windows was opened. 



Now, in Esquimaux-land, it is absolutely necessary to con- 

 serve every atom of heat, for the cold is so intense that if a 

 cask of water be near a coal fire, only the part next the fire 

 will be thawed, the rest being ice. Cold, therefore, is a foe 

 which has to be fought and kept away from the household. 

 Then there are other foes — such as Polar Bears, for instance — 



