with feathers, or wool, which are difpofed with such neatness, that every particle contributes to keep the neft warm, without in the leaft burting the eggs or the young. That their nefts may not be expofed to view, they are generally built in fecret places; and the bird takes fo many precautions to conceal them, that it is with difficulty they are difcovered. In general they all endeavour to fkreen them from danger, and from the injuries of the weather. Laftly, there are fome exotic birds that interweave the flender fibrous parts of plants with fo much dexterity, that they conftruct a round and hollow neft, which they afterwards fufpend from the fmall branches of trees, to put them out of the reach of their natural ene mies. The fame fubtilty is obfervable among infects. They are fmall and weak; but they appear great and able labourers in the formation of their nefts. For this purpose they collect and ufe all forts of fubftances. Some make fmall round cafes of earth, like the nefts of wallows, others form them very dextroufly of ftraw or grafs. Some roll up the leaves of plants, in order to lay their eggs in them, but with fo much art, that we cannot help being ftruck with aftonishment at it. They have various ways of rolling up the leaves, but they are all wonderful. Some ufe but one leaf, others feveral. Some roll the leaf from the point to the bafe, perpendicularly to the principal nerve; or fideways parallel to that nerve. Thefe laft take care to roll their leaf in fuch a manner that from one extremity to the other, each fold of the roll is parallel to the fide of the leaf, while others roll it up like a horn, with one of the ends fmaller than the other. Some only double the edge of the leaf longitudinally, making a fort of hollow hem; or if they flope much, the fold is unequal. When they roll up a part of the leaf, they fix the roll in the fhape they want it by means of different parce's of threads very artificially ranged and attached on one fide to the top of the roil, and on the other to the furface of the leaf on which it reas. It is nearly the fame when they roll up whole leaves. Each circumvolution is connected with that which follows it, by threads difpofed like thofe in the former inftance. There is likewife great variety in the methods ufed by thofe that live in fociety. They employ feveral leaves to ferve them for a common dwelling. Some make them round like a pear, obferving to make feveral holes for gates. Others join thefe leaves together, fo that externally they have the ap pearance of an inverted cone, or nearly fo. Among ihofe that live folitary in a habitation compofed of feveral leaves; fome conftruct it of leaves feparately rolled up longitudinally, and placed contiguous to one another; others make a kind of tube formed of different leaves, wound up fpirally. There are infects which though they do not roll up the leaves, yet contrive to make a habitation of them. Some take two which they fo clofely connect together with their threads, that the under one ferves them for a bed, the upper for a covering. They are fo firmly attached to each other, that neither wind nor any other ordinary accident can feparate them. Others grind the leaves and reduce them to powder, which they afterwards mix with a vifcid liquor if fuing out of their bodies; and of this mixture they frame their houfe. Some, inftead of pulverifing the leaves, gnaw the wood, and ufe the comminufed particles in the fame way. Some, in order to pohh and give a certain confidence to their nefts, ufe the refin of trees and fhrubs; others form round their eggs a kind of tent with the threads they draw draw from their bodies. In general every different fpecies fhows great dexterity in collecting materials for nidification. To fee them carrying what they have felected for this purpose, one would say that they had received leffons, and that fome ingenious mechanic had taught them the fimpleft and most convenient method of conveying these materials and using them. The ftructure of different nefts is not lefs demonftrative of the addrefs of thefe infe&ts, than the precautions they ufe in placing them indicates their forefight, I fhould compofe a large volume, were I to enter into a compleat detail upon this head. I must therefore confine myfelf to a few examples of thofe which appear to me the most fingular, I fhall begin with the ftructure of the combs of Bees. : Thefe infects begin their labours by fixing the comb to the firmest part at the top of the hive, and continue it downwards, and on both fides and to attach it with the greater firmnefs, they fometimes employ a kind of wax or glue. It cannot be faid with accuracy, in what manner Bees perform this part of their work. They are in fuch numbers, and in fuch conftant motion, that to the eye, every thing appears confufion. The following circumftances are however obfervable. Thefe little creatures are feen carrying to the places where they are at work, little bits of wax which they hold in their claws. On their arrival, they quit their burden, fix it to the work, and mould it with their feet, fometimes on one fide, and fometimes on the other. All this is performed in a very fhort time, after which they return to the fields, and are inceflantly fucceeded by others in fuch crowds, that the comb increafes rapidly. While fome labour in the conftruction of the cells, others are occupied only in faftening the work and giving it the due degree of confiftence. For this purpose they they are perpetually going over it, beating it with their wings, and the hinder part of their body. Bees conftruct their cells with geometrical exactness, in the following manner: They begin to form the bottom, which is compofed of three rhombs or lozenges. They first make one of thefe rhombs and then elevate two walls, on two fides of this firft rhomb. To it they join a fecond rhomb with a certain inclination, as we fhall afterwards mention, and raise other two walls on two of its fides. Laftly they add a third rhomb, and raise two planes on its two exterior fides, which, with the four others, form a cell of an hexagonal figure. While one party of Bees is occupied in this work, another fet are employed in finishing it. They retouch the fides, the angles, and base of the cells with the most scrupulous accuracy; they faften them, and work them fo thin, that three or four of the fides laid one on another, are not thicker than an ordinary leaf of paper. But as the entrance into thefe cells would be too weak if it were not thicker, they make a kind of rim to it, which ftrengthens the entrance. By this means the bees can come out, and go in eafily, without injuring their cells, which are proportioned to the fize of the body of thefe induftrious animals. I have faid that the Bces occupied in conftructing the cells, only labour for a fhort time at once; but that is not to be understood of thofe who have the care of finishing them. They are employed for a long time, and never quit their work, but when they carry away the little particles of wax which have been rubbed off in the polifhing.This fubftance is not Soft there are other Bees ready to receive it, or so go in queft of it in the cells in which thofe employed in polifhing fometimes, for a moment, retire to depofite it; this fuperfluous wax is made ufe of fewhere. There is a third order of bees which feem feem occupied only with miniftring to thofe that polifh. They are always at hand to furnish them with honey, or other fluid fubftances that are neceffary both for their work and their fuftenance. Each comb is compofed of two rows of cells laid close to each other, the bafe of each row being common. The thickness is fomething lefs than an inch; the depth of each cell therefore will be about five lines. I have often obferved that a comb a foot in length had from fixty to fixty-fix cells. According to this proportion, the width of each cell will be a little more than two lines, which is nearly a third of its depth this measure is that of almost all the cells in the hive; there is but a small number larger: the width of thefe is fomewhat more than three lines, and the depth a little more than fix. These large cells are destined to contain the larvæ of the drones, which we fhall afterwards mention. We find be fides in different places of the hive, three or four cells larger than the reft, and of a different figure. The mouth of thefe is in the underfide; they are attached to the extremities of the comb, and have the figure of a fpheroid. They are fuppofed to be the habitation of the queens; but I confefs I have never been able to ascertain this point. The base of the combs is at fuch a diftance from one another that when the cells are finished there is: no more space between two combs, than is fufficient to allow two bees to pafs back to back. The combs are not continued quite from top to bottom, but are often interrupted; there are befides certain openings at different diftances which allow a communication from one to another, both eafier and fhorter. After having explained the manner in which Bees conftruct their cells, I find it neceffary to be more particular |