364 
STRANGE DWELLINGS. 
The specimen from which this was drawn was fortunately in 
an unfinished state, only eight cells being made, and some of 
these but partly finished. As the reader may see by reference 
to the illustration, all the cells are hexagonal, whether finished 
or incomplete, and moreover, that the edges of the hexagon are 
quite sharp and well defined. 
Now, if either of the two theories were true, the cells would 
not have assumed this shape. Where are the six surrounding 
cells that are needed to compress the outermost cell into an 
hexagonal % Or where are the six surrounding cells from which 
the hexagon was excavated ? There are none. The outermost 
cell, for example, is perfectly free on five of its sides, being only 
attached to the neighbouring cell by the sixth side. Com- 
pression, therefore, has not been employed, because there is 
nothing that can compress it ; neither has excavation been used, 
because there is no material to be excavated. No one, on look- 
ing at this group of cells, can deny that the hexagonal form is 
produced by the direct labours of the insect, and not by any 
secondary mechanical means. 
- Perhaps some one who has not examined the actual object 
might say that the materials of which the cells are made are 
sufficiently stiff to need no support of contiguous cells. Now 
the substance of this remarkable nest is singularly slight, the 
walls being not thicker than the paper on which this account is 
printed, and the material is quite soft, as may be seen by the 
curvature produced by the mere weight of the structure. Yet 
none of the cells are united by more than three sides, the 
greater number by two only, and the external cells merely 
by a single side, leaving five sides and four angles perfectly 
free. 
In this particular specimen the material has evidently been 
varied, the insect having been forced to employ different sub- 
stances in forming its home, as is seen by the pale and dark rings 
alternately surrounding the cells. The insect which makes this 
curious home is of moderate size, and is greyish-black, banded 
with yellowish-white. The abdomen is tolerably stout and sharp- 
pointed, and is attached to the thorax by a short brownish foot- 
