Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature . carried the wasps nest by assault,and reduced the citadel. It is now under a glasscase in my study, safe and sound, and is a mostcurious structure. It was attached to its support iuthe roof by thepeduncle or stalk above mentioned;to this is appended the first cup-shaped below this, and overshadowed by it, is akind of circular gallery free from cells, under whichhangs, as you may say, the first tier of cells; this iscircular in form, three-quarters of an inch d
Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature . carried the wasps nest by assault,and reduced the citadel. It is now under a glasscase in my study, safe and sound, and is a mostcurious structure. It was attached to its support iuthe roof by thepeduncle or stalk above mentioned;to this is appended the first cup-shaped below this, and overshadowed by it, is akind of circular gallery free from cells, under whichhangs, as you may say, the first tier of cells; this iscircular in form, three-quarters of an inch deep,five inches in diameter, and closely packed withcells. Under that, again, comes another tier or laver of cells, of the same depth, but about six inchesin diameter, also, like the last-mentioned, closelypacked with cells. Under this, again, comes anothertier, less in diameter, but equally well filled withcells. In the larger central tier alone there are576 cells; three tiers of cells there are about1,250 cells. The material of the structure is [of afine vegetable papier-mache-like substance, which. Fig. 252. Section of Nest. under the microscope seems evidently to be com-minuted pieces of woody fibre. The cells are notvery neatly made, and although intended to behexagonal, more commonly degenerate into an irre-gular cylinder. The cells are surrounded by an en-velope of twenty-four folded leaves, giving the nestthe appearance of a huge Provence rose of a leaden-grey colour. The figure shows the nest with one sidecarefully removed to show the interior, and it givesa very fair idea of its structure. On one side are agroup of larger cells, five in number, more carefullymade, doubtless the apartments of the futurequeens. The garrison had supplied itself withhoney of a sweet sickening taste, and light is but one aperture or door, but this imme-diately breaks off into several passages, all commu-nicating with the different galleries. Latreille describes the nest
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectscience
