i6o 
STRANGE DWELLINGS. 
The wasp which makes this nest is bee-like in form, and very' 
small, not a quarter of an inch in length, and bearing some re- j 
semblance to those tiny solitary bees that are seen so plentifully 
upon dandelions and various umbelliferous flowers. 
The nest is always hung near the ground, quite as low as that I 
of the Myrapetra, and is suspended from the slender twigs and | 
long, delicate leaves which are woven into its substance, and in 
many places pierce completely through the nest, and project !; 
through the outer covering. It is, however, destitute of the 1 
sharp projections which guard the home of the latter insect, and 
as the outer wall is both thin and fragile, it would fall an easy 
prey to any insect-eating animal that might take a fancy to it, 
I cannot but think that this utterly defenceless state of the ij 
Nectarinia’s nest affords a proof that the spikes upon the habi- 
tation of the Myrapetra are not for the purpose of defending 
the nest against the attacks of enemies. 
As is the case with the Myrapetra, the cells are made with 
walls much firmer than those of our English wasps or hornet, 
which are only intended to hold successive generations of young, j 
and in consequence are made of a comparatively flimsy material, 
only strengthened very slightly at the entrance. Were honey 
to be placed in the cell of any known British wasp it would 
immediately soak into the walls of the cell, and thence escape by : 
slow degrees, but as the young grub, which is the only tenant 
of the cell, is without feet and is not in the least formed foi 
locomotion, a very slight partition is sufficient to control its 
movements. 
The grub does nothing but hold to the end of the cell with 
its piercers, open its mouth for food, and occasionally protrude 
or withdraw itself in a very slight degree ; and its utter immo- 
bility in the larval and pupal states affords a strange contrast to | 
the restless and fussy activity which actuates it after it has 
attained its. perfect form. j 
A creature is upon our list of pensile insects, which may I 
also be reckoned among the social or parasitic insects, but which 
makes its habitation in such a manner that its proper place is 
