X INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



men have been observing and reasoning upon for 

 ages, are by no means satisfactorily explained, or 

 reduced to the precision that every science should 

 aspire to. Yet, however difficult it may be entirely 

 to comprehend the phenomena we daily witness, 

 every thing in nature is full of instruction. Thus 

 the humblest flower of the field, although, to one 

 whose curiosity has not been excited, and whose un- 

 derstanding has, therefore, remained uninformed, it 

 may appear worthless and contemptible, is valuable 

 to the botanist, not only with regard to its place in 

 the arrangement of this portion of the Creator's 

 works, but as it leads his mind forward to the con- 

 sideration of those beautiful provisions for the sup- 

 port of vegetable life, which it is the part of the phy- 

 siologist to study and to admire. 



This train of reasoning is peculiarly applicable to 

 the economy of insects. They constitute a very large 

 and interesting part of the animal kingdom. They are 

 everywhere about us. The spider weaves his curious 

 web in our houses ; the caterpillar constructs his silken 

 cell in our gardens ; the wasp that hovers over our 

 food has a nest not far removed from us, which she 

 has assisted to build with the nicest art ; the beetle 

 that crawls across our path is also an ingenious and 

 laborious mechanic, and has some curious instincts to 

 exhibit to those who will feel any interest in watchino- 

 his movements; and the moth that eats into our 

 clothes has something to plead for our pity, for he 

 came, like us, naked into the world, and he has de- 

 stroyed our garments, not in malice or wantonness, 

 but that he may clothe himself with the same wool 

 which we have stripped from the sheep. An obser- 

 vation of the habits of these little creatures is full of 

 valuable lessons, which the abundance of the examples 

 has no tendency to diminish. The more such observa- 

 tions are multiplied, the more arc we led forward to the 



