How the Nest is made.-Division of Labor.-Lover's Quarrels.-Structure of the Nest.-Humming-birds again.—The FIERY TOPAZ.-Its nocturnal Habits.—Ap- pearance of the Nest.-Its Shape, and the Materials of which it is made.-The HERMIT HUMMING-BIRDS and their Nests.-The RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. -Variable Dimensions of the Nest.-Concealment.-Mr. Webber and his Dis- coveries. Variable Form and Positions of the Nest.-Materials of which it is made. Its deceptive Exterior.-Feeding of the Young.-The VERVAIN HUM- MING-BIRD.-How the Nest assumes its Shape.-The RED-BACKED SHRIKE.-Use of the Shrike in Falconry.-Their singular Mode of Feeding.-Impaled Prey.— Conspicuous Character of the Nest.—Popular Ideas concerning the Red-backed Shrike. Structure of the Nest.-The HEDGE SPARROW.-Its proper Title.-Care- lessness about its Nest.-Foes of the Hedge Sparrow.-Its Fecundity....Page 564 Remarkable Spider Nests in the British Museum.-Seed-nests and Leaf-nests.- Nests of the TUFTED SPIDER.-Form and Coloring of the Spider.—Its curious Limbs. Nests illustrative of the Hexagonal Principle.-Nest of the ICARIA.— The Equal Pressure and Excavation Theories.-Nest of MISCHOCYTTARUS and its remarkable Form.-Nest of the RAPHIGASTER.-Summary of the Argument.- The PROCESSIONARY MOTH.-Reasons for its Name.-How the Larvæ march.- Damage done by them to Trees.-A natural Remedy.-The CALOSOMA and its Habits. The GIPSY MOTH.-Its Ravages upon Trees and Mode of destroying it. -The Social Principle among Caterpillars.-Mr. Rennie's Experiments.-The LACKEY MOTH.-Supposed derivations of its popular Name.-The Eggs, Larvæ, and perfect Insects.-Habits of the Moth.-The BROWN-TAILED MOTH.--Locality where it is found.-Its Ravages abroad.-Nests of the ICARIA as they appear in Branches.-The APOICA: its remarkable Nests.-Singular Nests from the British The POLYZOA and their varied and beautiful Forms.-The RAFT SPIDER.-Why so called.-Mode of obtaining Prey.-Mice and their Homes.-The CAMPAGNOL or Harvest-mouse.-Its general Habits.-Its winter and summer Nest.-Its Store- house and Provisions.-Entrance to the Nest.-The WOOD MOUSE and its Nest. -Uses of the Field-mice.-The DOMESTIC MOUSE.-Various Nests.-Rapidity of Nest-building.-A Nest in a Bottle.-The Cell of the QUEEN TERMITE.-Its Entrances and Exits.—Size of the Inmates.-The FUNGUS ANT and its singular Home.-Material, Structure, and Size of the Nest.-The CLOTHES Mотнs and their various Species.-Habitations of the Clothes Moth, and the Method of For- mation and Enlargement.-The ELK and its winter Home.-The Snow Fortress and its Leaguers.-Its Use, Advantages, and Dangers.-The ALBATROSS and its Mode of Nesting.-Strange Scenes.-The EDIBLE SWALLOw.-Its Mode of Nest- ing. Origin of its Name.-Description of the Nest.-Curious Legend respecting the Bird. The EAGLE and its Mode of Nesting.-Difficulty of reaching the Eyrie. -The NIGHTINGALE and its Nest.-Other ground-building Birds and their tem- porary Homes.-The NODDY.-Perilous Position of the Eggs and Young.-The ... BOMBUS TOUCAN.... LAND CRAB.... PHOLAS IN WOOD.-RAZOR SHELL. MUS........ SHIP-WORM TATUA MORIO...... 119 CHARTERGUS NIDULANS.. B NESTS. POLISTES ATERRIMA, ETC. 482 MISCHOCYTTARUS.— - ICARIA. DER-NESTS...... 470 TUFTED SPIDER.-SPHERICAL SPI479 584 491 PHIGASTER.... 586 PROCESSIONARY MOTH AND CALO SOMA......... 590 ICARIAS 595 APOICA...... 600 RAFT SPIDER.... 612 MOUSE-NEST IN BOTTLE.... 620 497 TERMITE CELL....... 622 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. CHAPTER I. BURROWING MAMMALIA. Introduction. -MAN as a Burrower.-The MOLE and its Dwelling.-Difficulty of observing its Habits. - Complicated structure of its Fortress, and its Uses.Character of the Mole.-Adaptation of its Form to its mode of Life.-Common Objects.-The SHREW MOLE, ELEPHANT SHREW, and MUSK RAT.-The ARCTIC Fox.-Structure of its Limbs.-Form of its Burrow.-Its Character, Fur, and Flesh. The common Fox.-Mode of Burrowing and economy of Labor.-The young Family.-The WEASEL, and some of its Habits.-The BADGER and its Burrow. The PRAIRIE DOG, or WISH-TON-WISH.-Dog-towns. - Unpleasant Intruders.-The RABBIT, and the Warren.-Self-sacrifice.-Study of animal Life. -The CHIPPING SQUIRREL.-Curious form of its Dwelling.-Its subterranean Treasures. The WOODCHUCK, the POUCHED RAT, the CAMAS RAT, the MOLE RAT, and the SAND MOLE.-The WHITE BEAR.-Its curious Dwelling.-Snow as a Shelter. The PICHICIAGO.-Its Form, Armor, and Burrow.-The ARMADILLOS and their Habits.-The MANIS.-The AARD VARK, its Food and Dwelling.— The MALLANGONG.-Its strange Habits and its Burrow.-The PORCUPINE ANTEATER. Its burrowing Powers. AT some period of their existence, many of the higher animals require a Home, either as a shelter from the weather, or a defense against their enemies. Of all forms of habitation, the simplest is a burrow, whether beneath the surface of the ground, or into stone, wood, or any other substance. The lowest grades of human beings are found to adopt this easy and simple substitute for a home, and the Bosjesman of the Cape, and the "Digger" Indian of America, alike resort to so obvious an expedient. If the country be craggy and mountainous, a casual cleft or hollow affords a habitation exactly suited to a race of mankind who have never undergone any training in industry, who never exert themselves until forced to do so by some imperative demand of nature, and who reduce such exertion to the minimum of labor which some present emergency requires. Such debased tribes of humanity will occasionally adapt to their current circumstances the hole or crevice in which they take up their residence, and which can scarcely be called a home. No domestic associations hang around the habitation of the earth-dweller. The cave in which he dwells, or rather, in which he sleeps and shelters himself from inclement weather, possesses none of the thousand little amenities which constitute the home of man when even partially civilized. It is hallowed by no domestic joys, sanctified by no domestic trials, and those who take casual shelter therein know nothing of those "homely" feelings which in ancient times made the hearth an inviolable sanctuary, and which were outwardly symbolized by the Lares and Penates that surrounded the sacred spot. The inhabitants may adapt for the present, but they make no arrangements for the morrow, and, indeed, their memories seem to be as forgetful of the past and its lessons as their minds are incapable of forethought for the future. They may possibly remove a stone which incommodes them while they seek repose, if, indeed, they can not contrive to arrange themselves so as to save the trouble of removing it; and if the labor should not be severe, i. e. if the whole tribe need not do more work in a day than an English workman will perform in an hour, they may possibly enlarge or slightly alter their subterranean home. Civilized man may, and does frequently, employ the rocky cavern as his dwelling-place; but with this difference, that he converts the rude cavern into a permanent home. Some of my readers have probably seen those curious rock-houses in Derbyshire, which have been hollowed out of the solid sandstone, and present to the astonished traveler a view of windows and doors cut into the face of the rock, and of a chimney just projecting out of the level ground above.. Local traditions report that this peculiar construction was intended for the purpose of affording gratuitous nourishment to the inhabitants, who were supposed to feed on the hares, rabbits, lambs, and other creatures that stumbled over the chimney top and fell into the fire below. Except, however, that the walls of these houses are carved from the living rock, instead of being built up by successive series of stones or bricks, there is nothing in them which differs from the ordinary dwellings raised by builders, so that in reality they have little in common with the rock habitations of savage tribes. |