ix] ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA 121 



hand upon the patch of sand and found its tempera- 

 ture unpleasantly high, but just tolerable. Often too 

 when I have been at a loss for better methods I have 

 killed these insects instantly by placing the tube in 

 hot water of so low a temperature as to be quite 

 comfortable for washing the hands. 



In the foregoing chapters the situations in which 

 the various species breed have already been men- 

 tioned. Many, of course, when attending to the 

 demands of their own hunger are to be found on 

 the blossoms of many different plants; but it is in 

 the immediate neighbourhood of their nests that all 

 the more dramatic or tragic incidents of their lives 

 are to be witnessed. In the cases of those species 

 which burrow in the ground their presence is usually 

 betrayed either by little heaps of cast up earth, or 

 by the open mouths of the holes themselves ; though 

 many conceal these last with such care as to defy 

 detection. A little patience on a suitable day will 

 generally be rewarded by the sight of one or more 

 Fossors or perhaps some species of solitary bee 

 issuing from its burrow, or alighting and making 

 its entry. Should the mouth of the hole be exposed 

 it is probable that the owner is at home : in such a 

 case the tenant may often be tempted up into the 

 daylight again by the aid of a small mirror or a 

 magnifying glass. If the sun happens to be in 

 a favourable position the magnifying glass may be 



85 



