Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-03-14
BUILDERS.
eOASTFUL MAN SHOULD CONSIDER
THE WORK OF ANIMALS.

Extraordinary Instinct and Capacity
OF Some Apparently InsignIHcRnt
Creatures-A Few OF the Many Won
ders They Have Performed.
Man prides himself upon his marvel
Gus inventions. He holds up TO the ad-
miratiOn OF the world the wonderful
buildings which he has constructed and
thinks himself unrivaled as an archi-
tect. but "he who teaches man knowl-
edge has instructed the smallest insects
In the art of building and has thus an
ticipatcd the works OF man as an archi-
tect." They who builded the tower OF
Babel thought their invention OF turn
ing earth into stone n most wonderful
discovery. but the white ant and the
busy little bee had practiced this art
from the earliest days. The great math-
ematician instructed the tiny bee how
TO build its first cell in the manner
which combines the greatest amount Of
strength with the least material In
stinct. which may be called perpetual
memory. has preserved the knowledge
thus communicated, and the art has
been practiced 10y the countless myri-
ads OF their descendants In all climes
and countries. The little bee has been
engaged In storing away the honey in
these heXagonal cells. constructing the
cells OF wax and placing within them
the bee bread. n paste made OF pollen
and honey. for the food OF the young.
In each Of these cells the queen bee de
posts an egg. Some Of the bees sur
round their nests with down collected
from the leaves OF plants TO serve as a
nonconductor OF heat. TO guard against
changes OF temperature.
Nature taught the inferior orders OF
animals carpentry. taught them To di-
vide their houses into various apart
ments, TO construct domeS. arches,
staircases and colOnnades and 10 ex-
cavate tunnels. The scarlet hangings
OF the ancient city of Tyre excited the
admiration OF the then known world.
but there was a little insect that knew
the art. long before the celebrated
Tyrian dye was discovered. of hanging
the walls OF its cell with tapestry Of a
scarlet more brilliant than that OF
Tyre.
Selecting the scarlet petals OF the
poppy. the upholsterer bee cuts small,
oval pieces as neatly as if done with q
pair Of scissors. seizes the pieces be-
tween her legs and carries them TO her
nest. She overlays them three or four
in thickness. fitting the pieces very
dextrously. and thus hanging her nest
all around with this splendid scarlet
tapestry. In this beautiful nest her
eggs are Matched.
Men have been ages in bringing pop
ulous cities to their fullest extent, but
the white ants require only n few
months to build a city containing q
much larger number OF inhabitants
than Babylon in all its glory. These
habitations are built with two stories
with long galleries and numerous
chambers. The spider weaveS his
home as a silken net; the locust con
structs his OF the bark OF trees, cut in
to shape by sawlike organ which hi
| possesses; the kingfisher rearS Its
young In a floating cradle: the AM
builds winding passages to numerou:
chambers. In the innermoSt of these
chambers the infant treasures are laiC
at night TO protect them from cold. IL
the morning when the sun is up, tn,
workers convey the larvae to the upper
chambers. close under the roof. wher,
they may have warmth.
The beaver hut is round and arches
and has cellar. a flooring. a ceilin,
and roof raised by an animal desti
tute OF the builders art and instructe,
only by nature. The hare keeps open
chimney to his burrow for circulation
OF air. from which In cold countries
little column OF steam is often seen &
arise. The chimpanzee builds for him
self hut OF branches and leaves