72 BEES AND WASPS [OH. 



white hair : the long hind legs of the female carry on 

 the tibiae and metatarsi very long, beautifully branched 

 bright golden bunches of hair, which give the insect 

 a most striking appearance. This bounteous endow- 

 ment enables the insect to carry enormous loads of 

 pollen, as much as half her own weight, back to her 

 nest. This is made in a deep burrow, from one to 

 two feet in length in the ground. The soil is exca- 

 vated by the mandibles ; the front legs working very 

 rapidly thrust the loosened sand backwards under the 

 body of the insect ; at the same time the middle pair 

 of legs is employed to move the bee herself back 

 towards the entrance ; and on arrival there the hind 

 legs sweep away the earth on either side. The whole 

 of this process is rapidly repeated time after time 

 until the desired depth is attained. About six brood 

 chambers are made along the sides of the burrow, and 

 each is provisioned in turn, the lowest first. To this 

 end several large loads of pollen are brought to 

 the cell, moistened with honey, and then moulded 

 into a ball ; another load is added as an outer shell 

 to the ball and three short feet are fashioned so as to 

 raise the main mass clear of the floor: this accom- 

 plished an egg is laid on top of the mass. A second 

 chamber is then hollowed out, the material so ob- 

 tained being used to close the now fully equipped 

 first cell. The larva which hatches from the egg lies 

 in a curve on the top of the food-mass, and devours 



