FOOTNOTES:[1]Megachile centuncularis.[2]Osmia papaveris.[3]Reaumur.[4]Tinea sarcitella.[5]Icterus mutatus.[6]Icterus bonana.[7]Sylvia sutoria.
[1]Megachile centuncularis.
[2]Osmia papaveris.
[3]Reaumur.
[4]Tinea sarcitella.
[5]Icterus mutatus.
[6]Icterus bonana.
[7]Sylvia sutoria.
Uncle Philip tells the Children about the first Paper in the World, made by Wasps.
"Ah, boys! how do you do? This is Saturday, and I have been expecting to see you come for some time."
"Why, Uncle Philip, we should have been here sooner, but we went round by the old mill; because we thought that perhaps we might find in some of the old timbers, holes bored by some of those industrious little carpenters you told us about."
"Well; and did you find any?"
"No; but we found something else, which we have brought to show you: and we have been talking about it all the way. We have not discovered any newtoolsamong the animals, but we think we have found out atradethat some of them work at; and we wish you to tell us if we are right."
"Oh, that I will do, with pleasure, if I can.What is the trade that you think you have discovered?"
"It is paper-making, Uncle Philip. We have found this part of a wasp's nest, which we have brought along; and as you told us it was always best to notice every thing closely, we examined this, and it appeared so much like coarse paper that we thought (for we knew it was made by wasps) that man did not make the first paper in the world."
"Well, boys, that was not a bad thought. Now you see the advantage of taking notice of things, and of thinking about what you see. You are perfectly right in supposing that wasps make paper; and, if you please, we will talk this morning about the wasps."
"Oh yes, yes, by all means, Uncle Philip; and we will thank you, too."
"I must first tell you, then, that of the wasps there are several kinds. Some build their nests under ground, and some hang theirs in the air to the limb of a tree. This part of a nest which you have found belonged to the last kind; but I will tell you something about both. But before I begin let me get some drawings I have, which will help us to understand better. I have them. Andnow, of the wasps which build under ground. As soon as the warm season begins, the first care of the mother-wasp is to look for a fit place in which to build; and in the spring of the year she may very often be seen flying about a hole in the bank of a ditch, and looking into it. These holes which she examines are the old houses of field-mice or moles, and some persons have thought, what I expect is true, that she likes to take such old holes, because they save her a great deal of hard work. But still, as the holes are not large enough for her use, she has a great deal of labour to make them do. So she goes at once to work, digging in the hole she has chosen, and makes a winding, zigzag gallery, about two feet long, and about an inch in width. She digs out the earth, and carries it out, or pushes it out behind her as she goes on. This gallery ends in a large chamber or hole from one to two feet across when it is done: and now she is ready to begin her nest."
"Now then, Uncle Philip, she will begin to make paper, will she not?"
"Yes; but here I ought to tell you that it was a long time before men found out what she made it of. Do you remember my tellingyou of a gentleman who watched the little cloak-maker to see how he made his garment? Well, this gentleman, whose name was Reaumur, was trying for twenty years, he says, to find out how the wasp made paper, before he succeeded. At last, one day, he saw a female wasp alight on the sash of his window and begin to gnaw the wood; he watched her, and saw that she pulled off from the wood fibre after fibre, about the tenth part of an inch long, and not so large as a hair. She gathered these up into a knot with her feet, and then flew to another part of the sash, and went to work, stripping off more fibres or threads, and putting them to the bundle she had already. At last he caught her, to examine the bundle, and found that its colour was exactly like that of a wasp's nest; but the little ball was dry; she had not yet wetted it to make a pulp of it which could be spread out. He noticed another thing, that this bundle was not at all like wood gnawed by other insects; it was not sawdust, but threads of some little length bruised into lint. He then set to work himself with his penknife, and very soon scraped and bruised some of the wood of the same window-sash,so as to make a little ball exactly like the wasp's. Mr. Reaumur thought that this was the stuff out of which the wasp made paper, and it has since been found out that he was right. The animal wets its little bundle of bruised wooden fibres or threads with a kind of glue that it has, and this makes it stick together like pulp or paste; and while it is soft, the wasp walks backwards, and spreads it out with her feet and her tongue, until she has made it almost as thin as the thinnest paper. With this she lines the top of the hole in which she is going to build her nest, for she always begins at the top. But this is so thin that it would be too weak to keep the dirt from falling in; and therefore she goes on spreading her papers one upon the other until she has made the wall nearly two inches thick. These pieces are not laid exactly flat on each other like two pieces of pasteboard, but with little open spaces between, being joined at the edges only. This is the ceiling; and when it is finished she begins to build what may be called the highest floor of the nest; this she makes of the same paper in a great number of little cells all joined together at the sides; and instead of fastening thisfloor to the sides of the nest, she hangs it to the ceiling by rods made also out of this paper: these rods are small in the middle, and grow larger towards the ends, so as to be stronger. Here is a drawing of one.
Rods from which the Floors are suspendedThe Cut represents one of the Rods from which the Floors are suspended.
The Cut represents one of the Rods from which the Floors are suspended.
She then makes a second floor, and hangs it under the first by rods as before; and the whole of it, when finished, if it should be cut straight through the middle, would appear something like the following picture of one which I made some years ago."
Section of Social-Wasp's NestSection of the Social-Wasp's Nest.—aa, the outer wall;b,cc, five small terraces of cells for the neuter wasps;dd,ee, three rows of large cells for the males and females.
Section of the Social-Wasp's Nest.—aa, the outer wall;b,cc, five small terraces of cells for the neuter wasps;dd,ee, three rows of large cells for the males and females.
"This is a very ingenious little paper-maker. Uncle Philip."
"Yes, boys, it is so. This of which I have been telling you is the ground-wasp. The tree-wasp makes its nest of paper prepared in the same way; and the nests are of different shapes. One makes it in a roundflattened ball, not much larger than a rose, and when cut open it shows layer upon layer of leaves of the same thin grayish-looking paper. This kind is not so common, however. Here is one of their nests.
Wasp's NestWasp's Nest.
Wasp's Nest.
"Another makes its nest of cells placed in separate floors, but without any outer wall to keep off the rain; and the most curious thing in this nest is, that it is not placed in a horizontal way; that is, it is not placed with the floors level, because then the cells would catch the rain, and the nest would be spoiled; but it is always placed slanting, so that the rainmay run off. It is always placed, too, so as to face the north or the west, and I suppose it is because the wasp knows that it is in more danger of rain from the south and the east. Here is a nest of this kind."
Wasp's cellsWasp's Cells attached to a branch.
Wasp's Cells attached to a branch.
"Ah, Uncle Philip! this must be a kind of lazy wasp. It does not choose to take the trouble to cover up the house, and so it hangs it slanting, to make the rain run off."
"It may be so, boys; but I think that in making this wasp lazy, you make it a very sensible wasp; else how should it know thatwater would run down a slanting surface? But I cannot believe that it is so lazy; for, though it does not cover up the whole house in a paper shell, yet it does what no other wasp does, it covers its nest with a complete coat of shining, water-proof varnish, to prevent the rain from soaking into the cells. And putting on this varnish, I can tell you, is no trifling work. It forms a pretty large part of the labour of the whole swarm belonging to the nest; and sometimes you may see some of them at work for hours at a time, spreading it on with their tongues. No, my lads, he who wants an example of laziness, will not find it among the wasps.
"But let us come back to the paper. Hornets make paper for their nests much in the same manner as the wasps do, only it is coarser. There is, however, one kind of wasp which makes a sort of paper more curious than this which you have found. It is not a wasp found in this country at all. It is the Cayenne wasp, and so smooth, strong, and white is the outside of his nest that it appears like a card, and he is for that reason sometimes called the card-maker wasp. He hangs his nest on the branch of a tree, and it is sohard and polished on the outside that the rain rolls off from it, as if it were glass. A little hole in the lower end is left for the animal to pass in and out; and in this picture of it, which I have, a piece is left out of the side to show how the cells within are fixed."
Nest of the Card-maker WaspNest of the Card-maker Wasp, with part removed to show the arrangement of the Cells.
Nest of the Card-maker Wasp, with part removed to show the arrangement of the Cells.
"Well, then, Uncle Philip, we were right in thinking that wasps were the first paper-makers;and very glad we are that we saw this old piece of a wasp's nest. Who would have thought that so much could be learned by picking up this old scrap of a wasp's work!"
"Very good sense, boys, in that thought. A wise man will learn something from almost any thing. Use your eyes, and think of what you see. Now in this very trade of paper-making. I think that man would have found it out a great deal sooner if he had watched the wasps at their work. They have been excellent workmen at this business from the beginning; and man has gone on learning little by little of this very trade, as I will tell you at some other time, when he might have made a long step at once, had he but noticed wasps and hornets. We go on very slowly sometimes in learning to make a trade as perfect as it can be: the poor animal, with its knowledge such as God gave it, is often our superior. These dumb creatures cannot teach us every thing; there is a point to which they can go, and no further: but as far as they do know, their knowledge is perfect; and I make no doubt that a great many useful things not now known will hereafter be found out by watching dumb animals."
Uncle Philip tells the Children a Story about Tom Smith; and of Bees with Brushes and Baskets, and of a Bird with a Chisel, and a Gnat with a Lancet.
"Uncle Philip, as the day is fine, instead of sitting here, will you walk with us, this morning?"
"Yes, boys; let me get my cane and hat, and we will take a ramble; perhaps we may see something, if we will use our eyes. Where do you wish to go?"
"Oh, we do not care much, if you are with us, which way we walk; any course will be pleasant."
"Come on, then; we will cross the river, and go down on the other side beyond the old mill, where you found the wasp's paper. And now, such of you as will, may keep a look-out for curious things, while the rest of us will talk together.—Boys, do any of you know Tom Smith?""Know him! Why, Uncle Philip, everybody in this part of the country knows him; he is such a shocking drunkard, and swears so horribly, that nobody can forget him; and what makes it worse, he is an old man, too. His hair is almost as white as yours, Uncle Philip."
"Yes; he is just about my age. We were both born here, and I have known him ever since we were boys; and when we played together as children, over this very field which we are now crossing, or caught fish in the river down yonder by the rocks, there was not a more decent, well-behaved, handsome boy among us than was Tom Smith. Poor Tom lost his father when he was about twelve years old, and his mother, having no other child, indulged him, until he was sent to the city to go into a store. But Tom then, boys, had good principles; he neither swore nor got drunk. In a little time he fell into bad company, and they led him astray by degrees. He was so good-natured (as they call it), boys, that he had never the firmness to saynoto the proposals of his companions. He went with them to places of amusement; and instead of spending his evenings in his ownroom, reading, he was at the theatre, or dancing in some place, or at a supper with his young companions; and finally he began to play cards and billiards with them; while the inside of the church was a place which he never saw. He was cheated by his companions; and too honest he was then not to pay what he lost by gaming: he wrote to his poor mother, and told her the truth, as to his losses, and she sent him money to pay his debts, and told him to come home. He did come home; and even after all that had happened, poor Tom might have been respectable and happy; for his friends were all willing to forget the past, and encourage him for the future. For a time he went on pretty well, and married an affectionate and good young woman, and his prospects were bright enough: but one thing, boys—one single thing, ruined his comfort for ever. In the city he had learnedto drink strong liquors.
"I remember, too, soon after he came home and married, that a man was hung not far from here for murdering his wife. The man was a drunkard, though he was quite sober when he killed the poor woman; and drunkenness had hardened his heart. I have no doubt, as it will the heart ofany man. Tom was talking to me about that man, and I remember he said then that when a manbeganto drink, he could never say where it would end, nor what he would do: 'therefore,' said Tom, 'beware of thefirstdrink.' But Tom, though he talked like a Christian and a man about it, did not act like one: for it was not long before he began to follow his bad habit, and he soon killed his poor mother; for she died of grief and sorrow, I think. His excellent wife speedily followed her to the grave; and Tom Smith left the village, a perfect vagabond, whom no one cared for. Where he went, or what he did for a long time, no person here knows. I went to other countries, and neither heard of nor saw Tom Smith until my return home, when I found him wandering about here, a gray-headed swearer and drunkard. He did not know me, and I never should have known him, had not some one told me who he was. And last night I received a letter from one of my nephews in the city, which informed me that Tom Smith had been tried in the court, and found guilty of stealing, and was sent to the state prison for ten years to hard work. There I suppose he will die for he is now old; and itis awful to think of what is then to become of his soul. Ah, my dear boys! I could not help thinking, when I read my letter, of what that man said to me years ago—and I have told you his story, hoping that you will remember his words, 'Beware of thefirstdrink.' The man who does that will never be a drunkard. And when old Uncle Philip is laid in the grave, boys, which must be before many years, remember, as you look upon the place, that he told you the story of Tom Smith, and charged you to 'beware of thefirstdrink.'
"But here come some of the boys, running towards us; I suppose they have found something."
"Oh, Uncle Philip! Uncle Philip! Do come with the boys this way. Under that fence yonder there are a great many beautiful wild flowers, and a number of bees are as busy as they can be about them; pray come and see them."
"Well, I will; but not so fast, boys; you forget that I am an old man, and cannot run as you do.—So, here are, indeed, a great many industrious little workmen."
"What are they doing, Uncle Philip?"
"These areworkersamong the bees, and they are gathering the dust out of the flowers, to work it up into what is commonly called bee-bread. More tools here, boys!"
"Tools, Uncle Philip! Ah, we like that: pray let us hear of them; what are they?"
"Why, there is a brush and a basket in the legs of these little fellows; but they are so small that you cannot see them without a microscope."
"What is a microscope?"
"It is an instrument, made by fixing glasses in such a way to look through, that small things will seem to be very large. Do you not see how some of these little fellows are rolling themselves over in the inside of the flowers, so that the yellow dust is sticking to them? Now their breasts, and legs, and many other parts of their bodies are covered with very short hairs, which catch the dust. The last joint but one of each leg is made exactly like a brush, the hairs being longer there than on any other part; and with these they brush off the dust, and get it into two little heaps. The bags into which they put it, or rather the baskets, are in the thighs of the last pair of legs. These are hollow, so as toform a three-sided basket. The bottom of it is smooth and shining, and appears like horn, and all around the edges are placed very strong, thick-set hairs, like bristles."
"What are these for?"
"To keep things from falling out of the basket; and these bristles are so strong that even if they heap up more than the basket will hold, the bristles will keep it from falling. Here is a drawing of these legs.
Structure of the legs of the Bee for carrying propolis and pollenStructure of the legs of the Bee for carrying propolis and pollen, magnified.
Structure of the legs of the Bee for carrying propolis and pollen, magnified.
Besides carrying this dust, they also carry what is calledpropolis."
"What is propolis, Uncle Philip?"
"It is a gum which is found upon sometrees. This they work up into little balls, and knead it until it is a little dry, so as not to stick. This takes the bee sometimes as much as half an hour. When the balls are ready, she passes them backwards with her feet to the basket, puts them in, and gives them a pat or two to make them lie close; and when she adds more, she pats it still harder, and when the basket is full, away she goes to the hive. But there is another curious instrument about the bee. I mean its sting: this is like the head of a barbed or bearded arrow. There is a sheath for it when the bee does not wish to use it; and here is a picture of it.
sting of a Beea, The sting of a Bee, magnified to show the barbed darts;b, the last ring of the abdomen of a Bee opened, showing the sting in its sheath.
a, The sting of a Bee, magnified to show the barbed darts;b, the last ring of the abdomen of a Bee opened, showing the sting in its sheath.
But let us now continue our walk."
"Well, Uncle Philip, it is really very pleasant to walk with you: it seems as if you met nothing which could not teach us things worth knowing."
"Why, my dear boys, there are, as I told you once before, a great many things which I do not know; and what I do know I am very willing to tell you. But you may learn just as I did,—by reading, by taking notice of things around you, and by thinking for yourselves. And I do not know any thing more pleasant to notice than the works of God. I see his wisdom and his goodness in every thing which he has made. I see them in the insects, and the birds, and the larger animals; I see them in the grass, and the flowers, and the trees; and I see them in the rocks and the stones upon the ground. All these things are well worth our attention, boys; the study of all these things around us is called the study of 'Natural History;' and I think it is apt to make him who loves it a better man; at any rate, I believe that there have been very few who have been fond of it, who have not been amiable and benevolent men. But, hark! Do you hear that noise?"
"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
"No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
"What is it that he uses, then?"
"He uses the tool which God gave him. It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker. See, there it is on yonder tree, and look, at the foot of it, there is something like a bushel of the bird's chips or dust. Its bill is a complete chisel; it is straight, hard, and sharp, with edges too upon the sides. It is not a very broad chisel, but still it is one, and used as we use ours. But the chisel is not the only instrument of that workman. Its tongue is worth examining. It bores a hole into a tree that is dead or decaying, to look for insects whose nests are in the tree; and when it reaches the cell where the young insect is, it uses its tongue to get it out, and it suits exactly for the business. In the first place, it is so long that the bird can shoot it out three or four inches longer than the bill is; in the next place the end of it is tipped with a stiff, sharp, long thorn; and in the last place, that thorn has little teeth on both sides of it, like that which you see on the point of a fish-hook: these teeth are to keep the insect from falling off when it puts its tongue in the hole and sticks its sharp point into it to draw it out for food. Sothat besides the chisel, the woodpecker has a spear, or lance, or arrow, barbed (as it is called) or bearded at the point.
"But we are some distance, boys, beyond the old mill: suppose we now turn back towards home; I find the gnats rather troublesome."
"So do we, Uncle Philip; they have been biting us for some time: it would be well if there were no such tormenting things in the world."
"I am not sure of that, boys. We may not always be able to find out the exact use of some of these little animals; but that only shows that we are ignorant, not that they are of no use. God would never have made them if he had not some wise purpose in doing so: I do not believe he ever wastes his power in making useless things. But what will you say about gnats, when I tell you that they have a tool to work with, and a very perfect one, too?"
"Why, we will almost forgive them for biting us."
"Biting you! They have not been biting with teeth: they are doctors, boys; they have only been bleeding you, and cupping you."
"And what have they been bleeding us with?"
"Why, with a lancet, to be sure; what should a doctor use but a lancet to let blood?"
"And has the gnat really a lancet?"
"Yes, it has: this instrument forms a part of what you may call the tongue of the gnat: it is made up of five pieces, which are shut up in a case, split from one end to the other; these give steadiness to the lancet when it is used. But the reason of the pain is not so much the wound of the lancet, as it is the fluid or poisonous juice which the gnat puts into the wound to make the blood thin enough for the insect to suck it up through a tube or case, which makes part of its mouth. Here is a drawing of part of a gnat's mouth.
Part of a gnat's mouth
And here is a picture of the lancet or knife of a horse-fly.
Lancet of a horse-fly
"We have now reached the bridge,—and here we must part; your homes are in one direction, and mine is in the opposite. I hope, however, that you have learned something in our morning's walk."
"We have, Uncle Philip, and we thank you much, and bid you, good day."
"Good day, boys."
Uncle Philip tells the Children about Animals that can do Mason's Work.
"Uncle Philip, we saw a very strange thing just now; as we were coming, we saw a great many bees flying by us, and each one was carrying a little stone."
"That was strange, indeed. Did you find out any thing about them?"
"We asked a man who was near what they did it for, and he said that they carried the stones to prevent the wind, which is blowing pretty fresh, from tossing them about too much."
"That is a very silly story, boys, though it is a very old one: for I have seen them carrying what you call stones when it was quite calm, and there was no wind to blow them away. The man was very ignorant, or he would have told you another story, which would have been both strange and true."
"Will you have the goodness, Uncle Philip, to tell us what it meant?"
"Very willingly, boys. What you saw I presume were bees. You remember that I told you there were several kinds of bees; and this one is called the mason-bee. This kind builds his nest of mortar, and was therefore called the mason-bee by Mr. Reaumur first, I believe."
"Where does it get the mortar, Uncle Philip?"
"It makes it, boys. This kind of bee may be seen flying about, picking up sand, grain by grain, putting it into a heap, gluing them together with a sort of gum out of her own mouth, and building with them a foundation for her house. This little workman commonly builds against the side of a wall between two bricks where the mortar has fallen out; and if you should see one of the nests, it appears exactly like a lump of dry mud which has been thrown wet upon the wall out of a cart-rut: but when you examine it closely, you may see a great many small stones in it, more than is common in mud: a hundred people, though, might pass by it, and never think it was any thing more than a lump of dirt, whichhad been thrown upon the wall when it was wet, and had afterward dried there. Here is a picture of one of these nests.
Exterior wall of Mason-bee's NestExterior wall of Mason-bee's Nest.
Exterior wall of Mason-bee's Nest.
You see there is a small hole in it; this leads to a cell inside about an inch deep, and shaped exactly like a lady's thimble; the inside of this cell is polished smooth, and appears like a wall of plaster, except that it has little yellow stains upon it. Here is the bee that makes it.
Mason-beeMason-bee.—Natural size.
Mason-bee.—Natural size.
In making this mortar to build with, the beewill sometimes add earth that is soft to its grains of sand, and when the lump is about the size of a small shot, it takes it up and flies away with it, to work it into the wall."
"Does it always use sand, Uncle Philip?"
"Not always: sometimes it takes wet clay, and will dig into a bank of clay baked hard by the sun on the outside, so as to get that which is wet.
"Mr. Rennie, a gentleman in England who is very fond of watching insects, and has found out a great many curious things about them, has given an account of some of these bees which he noticed at work. Every one was carrying out of a hole in the clay-bank a small lump of clay; and on catching one of them, he found that this lump was wetter than the clay in the hole, so that the bee had moistened it, and worked it together, to make it stick like good mortar. These lumps too were larger than a shot; they were as large as a garden-pea."
"How long did it take them to work up the lump?"
"About half a minute, Mr. Rennie says. He watched one of these little creatures, and found that she was building on the insidewall of a coal-house, where the bricks and mortar were left rough: she was at work between two of the bricks where the mortar had fallen out, or where the bee had taken it out. And the conduct of the bee at her house was very different from what it was at the clay-bank. She was not frightened, but went on working when any one came near the clay-bank; but at her house she seemed afraid that it should be found out where it was. She would alight first on the roof outside, as if she merely wished to rest herself; and when she flew into the coal-house she would not go directly to her nest, but would settle on a shelf, and sometimes pretend to be examining a great many places in the wall between different bricks; and at last, when she supposed there was no risk, or when there was nothing to alarm her, she would fly to her nest, and go to work with all her might in fixing her piece of clay to the wall."
"Why did she wish her house not to be found out, Uncle Philip?"
"Mr. Rennie supposed it was her instinct: she had seen probably some of the insects which would destroy her young, watching her to see where she was building; and sometimesafter flying nearly to her nest with a load, she would turn back and fly towards the clay-bank, or take a large sweep off in another direction, and so come to her house.
"Besides the mason-bee, boys, there is the mason-wasp, which I have heard some persons call thedirt-dauber: it is very common, especially in the southern part of the United States. It works very much like the mason-bee, only it is apt to fix its nest under the eaves of old houses, which I think the mason-bee never does.
"There is also another kind of mason-wasp which will actually break a hard brick. Mr. Rennie says that he saw one at work on a brick of a hard yellow kind. Whether the wasp found a hole in the brick to begin with, he did not know; but if he did he was hard at work making it larger: he would break off a piece as large as a mustard-seed at a time. Here is a drawing of that kind of wasp; and the insect is no larger than the picture.
Mason-waspMason-wasp.—Natural size.
Mason-wasp.—Natural size.
It seems wonderful that so small an insect should have so much strength. Here is a picture of its jaws, seen through a microscope, so as to appear a great deal larger than they really are.
Jaws of Mason-waspJaws of Mason-wasp.—Greatly magnified.
Jaws of Mason-wasp.—Greatly magnified.
"I do not know, boys, that the masons we have been talking of, show us anytoolslike those with which men who are masons work; but they show us, at any rate, how to make mortar by kneading or working it together; and they certainly show us that we were not the first who built walls. But there is another kind of mason who works in stone. He picks out the stones which are of proper size, and he fastens them together with mortar really as men do."
"Pray tell us of him, Uncle Philip."
"I will. The insect I mean is the caddis-worm,which is to be found sometimes in ponds, and very often in springs of fresh water. There are several sorts of them, but the one I am thinking of now, builds a stone house to live in. These worms are in the habit of making a little tube, sometimes of sand, or shell, or wood, or leaves, or stones, to live in; and their skill consists in joining these perfectly, and making them stick together. But we are talking now of the caddis-worm that uses stone. What the worm has to do is to make a tube out of small stones, that shall have a hollow about as large as a wheat straw, and be perfectly smooth inside. This is a pretty hard task—at least it would be very hard to us. When the stone-mason wishes a stone of a particular size or shape, and cannot find it, he takes his hammer and breaks one until it will suit; but the caddis-worm has no hammer, and must take the stones just as it finds them. The little insect then has to pick out a great many stones before he gets the right one, because they have so many little rough points about them that it is very difficult to get those which will make the tube perfectly smooth inside. Remember, too, that the bottom or lower side ofthis stone case has to be pretty nearly smooth, so that the worm can drag it along on the bottom of the spring or pond (for it never comes out of it), and you will see that the picking out of the stones alone is no trifle. But besides this, it has to fasten them together with mortar."
"And can the worm really do this, Uncle Philip? Will not the water wash the mortar all away?"
"It certainly would if it were like common mortar. It was a long time that men lived before they found out a mortar that would remain, and grow hard under water. When they want to build a wall that is to be under the water, they use a cement which is called pozzolana; it is made of lava out of a volcano, and is water-proof. Our caddis-worm has a cement too, which is better than pozzolana, and though it has been tried, it cannot be melted or dissolved in water. Here is a drawing of the stone nest of a caddis-worm."
Stone Nest of Caddis-wormStone Nest of Caddis-worm.
Stone Nest of Caddis-worm.
"Uncle Philip, you said that sometimes these worms built their nests of other thingsbesides stones; let us hear something of them, if you please."
"Very willingly, boys. Some build of shells: here are pictures of their nests.
Shell Nests of Caddis-wormsShell Nests of Caddis-worms.
Shell Nests of Caddis-worms.
Reed Nest of Caddis-wormReed Nest of Caddis-worm.
Reed Nest of Caddis-worm.
Some build of leaves, and others of pieces of reed or light bark.
And a curious thing about those which build of light pieces of bark or reed is this, that they will make the top-piece come over so as to hide their heads, and prevent you from seeing them. Some build of sand; and then as the house would be so light that the water runningfrom the spring might wash it down and carry it away, the wonderful little creature takes care to anchor it by fastening a pretty large stone to it when it has nearly finished it. And as the worm anchors it when it is too light, so it lightens it when it is too heavy, by fixing a bit of light wood or hollow straw to it to buoy it up."
Sand NestSand Nest, balanced with a Stone.
Sand Nest, balanced with a Stone.
Nest of Caddis-wormNest of Caddis-worm, balanced with Straws.
Nest of Caddis-worm, balanced with Straws.
"Well, this is truly a wonderful insect. Uncle Philip."
"Truly so indeed, boys. In all these cases it uses its water-proof cement, and if you break its house to pieces, and will patiently watch, you may see it build another. The insect always lives with its head out of doors, and its body inside; so that its head is firm and hard, while its body is soft."
"Uncle Philip," said one of the larger boys, "there is one thing I have been thinkingabout, as you have been talking: these little masons have no trowel, but I believe I know of one animal that uses something like that tool."
"Ah! What animal is it?"
"Why, I was reading the other day something about the beavers building their dams and their houses, and the book said that they built their houses of logs first, and then plastered them with mud, and that they used their tails for trowels."
"I am very glad to find that you remember what you read; but I am sorry that your book did not tell you the truth. There have been very strange stories told about the beaver; and these stories have been taken from one book and printed in another, so that an untrue account has gone down for a great many years. The beaver is very ingenious, but is not quite so much of a mason as you suppose."
"Well, Uncle Philip, will you tell us the truth about it?"
"Yes, boys, I will, so far as I know it myself. I have seen these animals, for they were once a great deal more common in our country than they are now; and many of the stories toldof them are not true. But before I begin, let me tell you of one book which I think does tell the plain truth about them; and the truth is curious enough."
"What book is it, Uncle Philip?"
"It is a book written on American Natural History, by Doctor John Godman. I knew him, boys, and a most excellent man he was. He is now dead—and he died a Christian. The book he wrote you will find worth reading, when you get old enough to understand it. But now for the beaver.
"His tail is very broad and flat at the end, and might be used very well for a trowel; but when he builds his house he does not cut down trees, and place them first, and then fill up the cracks with mud-mortar; but all the sticks and mud (and stones too when the beaver can get them), are first mixed up together, and the beaver builds his house with this from the very foundation. As soon as he has placed a lump of this stuff upon the wall, he turns round and gives it a blow with his flat tail; and that, boys, is all he does with his tail for a trowel. Sometimes he slaps his tail upon the water when he is swimming; and some persons have supposed that this was done bythe king, or ruler, to call his workmen. It may be so, but I do not believe it, because they almost always dive as soon as they have slapped the water; and I think it is probably a part of their motion in diving. In the autumn they cover the outside of their houses with mud, and they walk over it as they are at work, and their tails drag along upon it; and this I expect made persons first suppose that they were plastering it, with the tail for a trowel. When they are caught and kept, boys, they still keep up this fashion of slapping with the tail; so that I rather think it is part of the nature of the animal.
"At another time, perhaps, I will tell you more about the beaver; but it is now late, and I must bid you good morning."
"Good day, Uncle Philip."
Uncle Philip talks to the Children about Animals that throw Dirt with a Spade; and about an Animal with a Hook; and about one that is a Wire-drawer.
"Boys, I have some men at work digging a small ditch for me, and I wish to see them; will you go with me?"
"Oh, yes—very gladly, Uncle Philip; for you will be sure to tell us of something curious before we come home."
"Come on, then: yonder are the men at work; they have been very industrious, I see."
"But, Uncle Philip, look! There is one of the men putting a bottle to his mouth. Is that right?"
"Yes, boys, right enough; for the bottle has nothing but molasses and water in it; and the man is thirsty, I suppose. I would not employ him if he brought a bottle of spirits out with him, for two reasons. In thefirst place, I think that I ought not to encourage a man who gets drunk, by employing him; for I would rather give my money to a sober man who will not spend it for rum and brandy, but will take care of his family: and, in the second place, a drunkard would not work faithfully without being watched all the time. I never knew a drunkard who was really and honestly an industrious man."
"See, Uncle Philip, how strong that man is; what a large spadeful of dirt he throws out!"
"Yes, I see, boys: do you think that men had the first spades in the world?"
"Ah! now you are going to tell us something about tools among animals: that is good; we like to hear of that. What animal is it that has a spade?"
"Oh, a very common animal indeed in some parts of our country. The country people call it awoodchuk, and sometimes aground-hog: its right name is the marmot; and as there are several sorts, ours is called the Maryland marmot, to distinguish it; but it is in New-York, Connecticut, New-Jersey. Pennsylvania, Virginia, and some of the other states, as well as in Maryland. This is rathera mischievous animal, and does harm to the clover-fields; but it is in making his house that he uses his spade."
"Then he digs his house in the ground. Uncle Philip?"
"Yes; he burrows, or digs his nest in banks of earth, or on the sides of hills; and he has sense enough to make the passage to the inside upwards, instead of downwards, so that water cannot run in. In digging soft earth he uses his fore-paws to loosen the dirt, for his fore-legs are very strong; and if the ground is hard he will use his teeth too. As he gets farther in, he throws the dirt with his fore-paws under his belly, and when he has a heap gathered, he balances himself on his fore-feet, and begins to throw it out with his spades."
"What are his spades, Uncle Philip?"
"His hinder feet, boys, which are very broad, and just fit to take up the dirt as a spade does, and to throw it from him: there is a skin which grows between the toes of his hinder feet, so that he can spread them out when he chooses, like a duck's foot."
"But, Uncle Philip, perhaps they are made so for the sake ofswimming; the duck's are."
"That is a sensible thought, boys. Always think for yourselves; and when you make a mistake, try again: everybody is mistaken sometimes. Let it teach you to be modest and humble; but do not be afraid to think again. A person who is always thinking cannotalwaysthink wrong. Now you suppose the marmot's feet may be made like a duck's for swimming: let me tell you something else, and we shall see what you will think then. The marmot hates a rain as much as you would if you had no umbrella; he very seldom even drinks water, and then only a little; and you cannot drive him into a stream or pond; he is afraid of it. What do you think now?"
"Why, Uncle Philip, we think that he is no swimmer."
"Very true, boys: so his feet, then, you now think, were made for spades, and not for paddles?"
"We do. Can you tell us any thing more about this animal, Uncle Philip?"
"Oh yes. The burrows or holes of the marmot run a great distance under ground, and end in several chambers or rooms, according to the number that is to live in them.They make beds in them of dry leaves, or grass, or any thing soft and dry which they can find. They cram their mouths full of it to carry, when they are making their nests. As soon as cold weather begins, the animal goes into his house, and stops up the hole on the inside; and there he stays till the warm weather has come again.
"He is quite a thief at times. I saw one once which a gentleman had tamed, and he played about the yard; but every thing that he could get hold of which was fit to make his bed of, he was sure to steal, and carry into his hole under ground. When clothes were hung out to dry he would take them off the line, and as soon as any were missed the washerwoman knew very well where they were. She kept a long stick with a hook at the end of it, and with this she drew them out of the burrow. He soon found out what it meant, and whenever she used the stick, it was necessary first to tie him up; for he did not choose to have his bed spoiled, and would run to the hole and try to get in, and prevent the clothes from being drawn out. One day he stole eight pairs of stockings, a towel, and a little girl's frock; and he carried them intohis burrow as far as six feet from the entrance.
"But, boys, as we have begun this morning upon the old subject of tools among animals. I will tell you of something which, though not exactly a tool, is a very useful instrument, and is found belonging to a very common creature. Did you ever take notice of a bat?"
"Oh yes, Uncle Philip, often, as they were flying about in a room at night, but not nearer."
"Then you never saw what I mean, I expect. Our common bat, boys, has two very excellent hooks; one on each of what you call its wings: I say what you call its wings, because the bat is not really a bird, but a quadruped; that is, an animal with four feet: and when it is on the ground, any one may see that it is a four-footed animal. If a monkey's paw should be flattened out very much, it would be something like a bat's paw or hand. The long finger-bones are just like the sticks of an umbrella; there is a thin skin between them, and they stretch it out, so that the air underneath will keep them up. When they are on the ground all this is folded up.Their hinder feet have five toes, all small, and ending in sharp claws. On the fore-feet there is but one finger which the bat can use much, because the others are like umbrella-sticks, as I told you; and the end of that one is a hook. Here is a picture, in which you can see it plainly.