HARDWICKE'S S CIE NCE -GOSSIP. 



51 



back with perhaps the last load, and finds the in- 

 truder's egg, she does not remove it, as she easily 

 could, but leaves it there and makes preparation for 

 another, the parasite seeming to have the run of the 

 burrow without let or hindrance. These parasites 

 are sometimes in such great numbers as seriously 

 to diminish those of the constructives, espe- 

 cially in the colonies of gregarious species. The 

 Nomada are principally'parasitic on the two genera 

 mentioned above, the Halidus and Anclrena; one 

 genus {Ccelioxys) is parasitic on the Leaf-cutters 

 {Megachile), and another (Stelis) on the Masons 

 (Osmia). The Dasygastre, or hairy-bellied bees, which 

 include the Leaf-cutters {Megaechilc) and the 

 Masons (Osmia), are perhaps the most ingenious of 

 the whole, from the diversity and ingenuity dis- 

 played in the construction of their nests. The 

 work of the former may be seen in almost any 

 garden. The industrious little creature will rest on a 

 leaf that seems adapted for its purpose, resting with 

 the legs above and below the leaf, the edge of which 

 runs from head to tail. It then with its powerful 

 shears, like mandibles, cuts the piece out, working 

 towards itself as rapidly as we could do the same 

 with a small pair of scissors. When the piece is 

 nearly cut through, she opens her wings and begins 

 to move them, so that when the piece is quite de- 

 tached, she still holds it between her legs, and does 

 not fall more than an inch or so. The first pieces cut 

 out are oval, with one end slightly wider than the 

 other : these pieces she carries and places at the 

 bottom of the burrow, and laps one over the other 

 until the case is thick enough to hold the honey and 

 pollen with which she nearly fills it; she then lays 

 an egg, and finally closes the aperture with several 

 circular pieces, which she cuts rather larger than the 

 mouth of the case, so that when pushed in, they are 

 kept firmly fixed in their place. She then begins 

 another, placing the end in the mouth of the former 

 so that it looks like a continuous case. Some 

 burrow in rotten wood, in the earth, and in almost 

 any ready-made convenient receptacle. In general 

 size and appearance they somewhat resemble the 

 common hive-bee, but are broader-built, and have a 

 habit of turning up their rather pointed tails. Three 

 species of the males have a peculiar expanded joint of 

 the foreleg, the basal joint of the tarsus, which is pale 

 and thickly fringed, but for what purpose I cannot 

 say. The Mason bees make their nests in a variety 

 of places, some in rotten, wood, old posts, &c. One 

 burrows into the pith of dead bramble-sticks. A 

 large assemblage of the cocoons of one species was 

 found attached to the under-side of a flat stone. 

 Some will form their cells in the empty shells of Helix 

 nemoralis and aspersa ; sometimes they may be 

 found on a wall so plastered over with mud that the 

 whole looks only like a splash or dab of mortar; and 

 some in the earth. The larva when full grown 

 spins a tough brown silken cocoon, in which to pass 



the winter, generally fully developed, or perhaps 

 sometimes in the larva state : these insects never 

 pass it in the pupal state : one species or other may 

 be found throughout the spring and summer months 

 of the year. They are, generally speaking, rather 

 more than a quarter of an inch in length, and rather 

 stout for their_size ; many of them are more or less 

 bronzy, one species very much so. Another group 

 of stout bees are not unlike the Bumble-bee to a 

 casual observer, one ot w nch (Anthophora) is to be 

 found in gardens on a most the first fine day of 

 spring, hovering over crocuses and primroses, just 

 like a humming-bird, while its very long tongue, 

 which isporrect,adds much to the likeness. Themale 

 is brown and the female black. The former of this 

 whole group has a yellow face with black markings ; 

 and another genus (Eucera), not very dissimilar, has 

 in the male enormous antennse, as long as the insect 

 itself. These bees collect on the leg ; they make 

 similar cells to the Leaf-cutter, but instead of leaves 

 they make theirs of clay in the earth, and are gre- 

 garious; one species place theirs in rotten wood, 

 forming the cells of triturated wood : they have very 

 long tongues. All the bees I have mentioned are 

 solitary, though often gregarious ; they are conse- 

 quently but of two sexes. The next and last, being 

 social, have three, an undeveloped female or neuter 

 being added to the others; and by these the greater 

 part of the work is done. The Bumble-bees, of 

 which we have eighteen species, lead quite 

 a different life to all those previously mentioned. 

 The female hybernates, and quite early in spring 

 may be seen hunting about hedge-rows for a suitable 

 place to commence her nest, or gathering pollen 

 from the catkins of willows and sallows. The nest 

 at the commencement is small, but as soon as the 

 first-laid eggs have passed through the intermediate 

 stages and become perfect bees, which are all neuter 

 or working bees, the nest is rapidly enlarged, and 

 males and females only are found to be hatching at 

 the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. 

 Some of the species appear to be earlier than others. 

 These bees are infested with a parasitic bee, which 

 very much resembles them in general appearance ; 

 but of course, not being workers, there are only two 

 sexes of them. These live in perfect harmony with 

 the constructive insect. The males of both are said 

 never to re-enter the nest when once they have left 

 it. The number to be found in a nest varies con- 

 siderably, some being more prolific than others. 

 Some of them form their nests of moss and grass 

 above the earth, and some in the earth, heaps of 

 stones, &c. The other social bee is the Hive-bee : 

 this I dare not touch upon, for, meagre as this paper 

 must appear when the subject of it is considered, it 

 would be more so were I to attempt in a few lines 

 to write about insects so curious and interesting 

 as these. In conclusion I recommend any who may 

 be sufficiently attracted by my subject to desire to 



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