NESTING HABITS OF SOME ANTHIDIINE BEES. 269 



stems of Bouteloua oligostachya (Nutt.) Torr. and Bromus 

 brizseformis Fisch. and Mey., rise a foot or so above the colony; 

 thus chaff, small sticks, etc., are abundant. The nests were 

 marked, as seen in the picture, i to 16 by small numbered strips 

 of paper securely weighted with sand. Nest 7 has been plugged 

 up. The picture shows bee H, whose thorax is white for identifi- 

 cation, very near and to the left of this nest. She is standing 

 on her hind legs with the fore legs on the bank just above the 

 nest. Nest 4, hidden from view, is a foot behind 2 while nest 14 

 is a quarter inch above 5. Nests 1 1, 12, 13, 15 and 16 are hidden 

 from view in the grass to the left of 14. Nests 7 and 8 are about 

 twenty-five inches apart (c). 



All bees concerning which notes were taken were marked with 

 waterproof white paint. Thus the thorax of the bee seen beside 

 label 7 is white. Bee C, on whose habits many important notes 

 were taken, was marked as follows: (i) Left half of dorsal surface 

 of last abdominal segment white; (2) A black area present on 

 left side of fourth dorsal abdominal plate completely surrounded 

 by a yellow tegumentary band which area, on right side of same 

 abdominal segment, was not completely surrounded; (3) Right 

 postero-lateral quarter of mesothorax dusty, probably due to 

 some resin sticking there at one time and dust adhering to 

 this (c). 



One bee was seen to have two nests in the process of con- 

 struction at which she worked more or less alternately. Later, 

 five such bees were observed. These were shown to and verified 

 by Hicks. The following short extract illustrates this habit in the 

 case of one bee: Bee C is constructing two nests which are nine 

 inches apart. Into one nest she carries pebbles, lumps of dirt, 

 chaff and such sticks as she can handle with her mandibles. 

 Then she flies directly to the other nest and does the same thing 

 there. Thus she carries the following number of these articles 



