The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-10
INSECT MECHANICS
Wonderful Achievements Of the Paper
Makers and Other
Artisans.
Tools Finer Than ANY Ever Made by Man
-Twelve-story House Of the
Carpenter Bee.

To the proper study Of art, music or
literature, in their highest excellence, ac-
cess to collections, galleries,and libraries,
only to be found in the centers OF wealth.
and populations necessary; but to study
nature one has only to look about In the
country lanes and fields and forests. Inc
galleries of the Creator are to be found
everywhere except where those of man
exist. And what exquisite workmanship
do they not exhibit! A devout old man,
who may be pardoned by our modern ag-
nostics for his anthropmorphism In con-
sideration of the fact that he lived in the
third century, has said:
''If you speak Of the organism OF an IN
sect, what you say will be in some sort q
demonstration Of his power whose hand
formed it; for the skill of the craftsman
Is exhibited more in the minuteness and
delicacy of his workmanship than in the
size of what he makes. He who stretched
out the infinite armament and followed
the bed Of the sea pierced the tiny sting
of the bee for the election of its poison"
The astronomer who looks up toward
the unfathomable depths OF space with
the aid of his costly instruments sees no
more of creation than is to be found in a
patch of living velvety moss at the foot
of a forest tree. In such humble and OBJ
scure localities exist little families, COM
business Of life in their own queer fash
ion, which, nevertheless, affords many
parallels to human life and mans way Of
doing things. Like us these pigmy peo-
pies have their governments, their wars,
their children and their homes to look
after; they have servants, household
pets, and police; they are cattle raisers,
farmers, hunters and fishers, and prac-
tice all the handicrafts Of men.
Take for example, the paper makers.
While the rest of mankind are writing
imperishable thoughts on all sorts of
clumsy makeshifts, the pith of reeds-cut
spirally and fattened by pressure
leather, the leaves Of palm trees, wood,
stone clay and what not, the Chinese
painted their tireso1ne treatises on paper;
but even they did not invent paper. Long
before they discovered how to make 1t,
the wasp was manufacturing firm and
durable article of this valuable substance,
''by very much the same process" says
Mr.. James Rennie, "as that by which
human hands now manufacture 1t with
the best aid of chemistry and machln-
cry"
Not Only do these insects make paper,
: but also Cardboard and anticipating the
Japanese, build their habitations of pa
pier mache. One species of wasp in
South America, of whose curious nest an
illustration is given, manufactures a
cardboard of so firm texture and so
smooth a surface that it can be written,
drawn, or painted upon like the best bris-
toll board; and in one respect, at least, 1t
is superior to the man-made article, for
it is entirely waterproof. The heaviest
showers fail to soften it or dampen the
interior of the nest it encases
The carpenters find many representa-
tives among the insect tribes. An Eng
lish insect, related to our bumble-bee,
but differing in color, being of a dark vio-
let tint, we'll deserves her name of car
penter-bee. Selecting a suitable locality,
a stump post or any bit of timber-if a
little softened by decay, so much the
better--she proceeds to excavate her ten
or twelve-storied house with more ease
than human workman, aided by every
appliance with which modern science
can supply him, can tunnel into the hill
side First entering the timber in hori-
zontal direction, she abruptly turns and
extends the passage downward at a right
angle to that by which she entered
Twelve times her own length she hollows
out her tunnel Gas if a man'with his pro-
portionately greater size and strength
should cut his way some 60-odd or 70-odd
feet into the solid timber), and then she
prepares to put in floors and furnish the
chambers into which her tunnel is thus
divided She has been very careful tt
preserve her chips; no sawdust mol
shavings obstruct or litter her work
which is clean cut and perfect. All the
results of her cravings are gathered in
to compact heap near by and preserved
for future use.
An observer says: "She proceeds thus
AT the bottom of her excavation she de.
posts an egg, and over it fills space
nearly an inch high, with pollen of flow.
ers made into paste with honey. She
covers this over with ceiling composed
of cemented sawdust taken from what she
has saved; this also serves for a floor fol
the next chamber above it. She lays thi:
floor by cementing around the wall ring
Of wood-chips, and within this ring forms
4 another, and so on until she has construct
ed circular plate about the thickness o
a 1Oc piece. She proceeds in the same
manner until she has completed 10 or 1:
cells when she builds up the main en-
trance with her materials"
From the bottom cell back entrance
affords egress to the first born and frs
adult bee; and Reaumur also noticed
door opening from the middle cell. TIL,
Young bees readily eat through the floors
but cannot penetrate the solid wood. Tn
implements with which the violet carpen
ter bee works her chisels-here shown
hard and keen-edged, and most practica
tools, however, seemingly inadequate TO
the work they do.
But while the carpenter bees work W.T.
chisels, there are many insects that us
saws These saws, however, are nue.
better contrivoi, finished, and sharpened
and more effective, than any yet made Q
STEEL When the little craftsmen under
take jobs of work which, if multiplied pro
portionately to his size. no human work
man could think of entering upon unaid
ed In the sawfly, which owns, perhap
the most perfect instruments Of the kline
our inventors might find teacher who's
suggestions would not be valueless. TIL
saw Is the head of the insect. 1t Is double
working alternately in the groove, the tw
very cleverly strengthened by a thic