Natural history of insects : comprising their architecture, transformations, senses, food, habits--collection, preservation and arrangement . With the first pellet which it detaches, itlays the foundation of a round tower, as an out-work, immediately over the mouth of its pellet which it afterwards carries off fromthe interior is added to the wall of this outerround tower, which advances in height as thehole in the sand increases in depth. Every two orthree minutes, however, during these operations, ittakes a short excursion, for the purpose, probably, ofreplenishing its store of fl
Natural history of insects : comprising their architecture, transformations, senses, food, habits--collection, preservation and arrangement . With the first pellet which it detaches, itlays the foundation of a round tower, as an out-work, immediately over the mouth of its pellet which it afterwards carries off fromthe interior is added to the wall of this outerround tower, which advances in height as thehole in the sand increases in depth. Every two orthree minutes, however, during these operations, ittakes a short excursion, for the purpose, probably, ofreplenishing its store of fluid wherewith to moisten thesand. Yet so little time is lost, that Reaumur hasseen a mason-wasp dig in an hour a hole the lengthof its body, and at the same time build as much of itsround tower. For the greater part of its heightthis round tower is perpendicular ; but towards thesummit it bends into a curve, corresponding to thebend of the insects body, which, in all cases ofinsect arcliitecture, is the model followed. Thepellet which form the walls of the tower are notvery nicely joined, and numerous vacuities are left MASON-BEES, 31. Nests., ffc. of 31 ason-Wasps.—About half tlie natural size.—a The tower of the nest, b The entrance after the tower is re-moved, c The cell, d The cell, with a roll of caterpillars pre-pared for the larva. between them, giving it the appearance of fillagreework. That it should be thus sHghtly built is notsurprising, for it is intended as a temporary structurefor protecting the insect while it is excavating itshole; and as a pile of materials, well arranged andready at hand, for the completion of the interiorbuilding,—in the same way that workmen make aregular pile of bricks near the spot where they aregoing to build. This seems, in fact, to be the maindesign of the tower, which is taken down as expedi-tiously as it had been reared. Reaumur thinks, thatby piling in the sand which has previously been dugout, the wasp intends to guard its pro
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidnaturalhistoryof01bos, booksubjectinsects
