98 MR. NEWPORT'S FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON 



still further discoloured, and many of them were dead, and all were covered with the 

 hladder-like bodies in greater abundance. 



On examining other specimens of these larvae, which I had placed in separate bee-cells, 

 I found that these also were in a similar condition ; and on inspecting my collection of 

 larvae and pupae of Anthophora, these too, to my utter astonishment, were covered in the 

 same manner. I noticed also that the vesicles first observed on the larvae in the glass tube 

 had become much larger, during the past two days ; and on inspecting them very carefully 

 with a lens, I found that the bladder-like bodies were either the nidi of parasites, or living 

 parasites themselves attacking and exhausting the enemies of the young bee, as the bee 

 had been attacked by them (fig. 5). Thus in less than eight days from the time when my 

 specimens were collected, the whole were irretrievably destroyed by objects which now 

 covered them in multitudes, but which at first were so microscopic as entirely to escape 

 observation. As it was now evident that my whole collection of larvae of Monodontomeri 

 would soon entirely disappear, I placed a number of them, together with the parasites that 

 covered them, in spirit for future examination. Out of nearly two hundred and fifty 

 specimens of these, and of a still greater number of larvae and nymphs of Anthophora, the 

 result of the persevering labour of several hours' search, I was not able to save even 

 a single specimen. Wherever I placed them in the room appropriated to my investiga- 

 tions, they became covered with these microscopic enemies, whether secured in wooden or 

 tin boxes, or covered earthen pots. I now began to suspect the cause of this mischief. 

 During the time I was collecting the larvae, on the 16th of the month, I found some bee- 

 cells nearly filled with a large mass of vesicle-like bodies. These were completely new to 

 me. The body of the bee-larva seemed to have been changed into this mass of spherical 

 nondescripts (fig. 1), which, although quite distinct from each other, were aggregated 

 together, and somewhat resembled a microscopic bunch of grapes. Each of the bodies was 

 opake and clouded on its upper surface, and seemed to include other bodies. On its under 

 surface it was clear and transparent. They varied greatly in size, from that of a minute 

 pin's head to nearly one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Having found several of the 

 cells filled with them, I collected these cells, for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible, 

 the nature of their contents. I found also one cell in which these bodies, as well as the 

 remains of the bee-larva, were almost dried up. The instant this cell was opened and 

 exposed to light, I noticed, on examining the interior with a lens, that it was partly filled 

 with what looked at first like dust ; but more closely observed this was seen to consist of 

 crowds of little brown objects (fig. 6), in a state of the most vivid and incessant motion. 

 These were so exceedingly minute that I could only recognise them to be living creatures 

 by means of the lens, and even then with difficulty, without being able to distinguish their 

 form, as they were of the same colour as the clay-soil of the nest. They reminded me 

 very forcibly, by the vivacity of their movements on exposure to light, of the larvae of Meloe, 

 although scarcely one-third the size of those diminutive creatures when first hatched. 



No Pandora's box could ever have been more fatal to man, than this bee-cell and its 

 contents became to my store of larvae. I placed it together with those which seemed to 

 contain only vesicles in the same case, which I did not again examine until the following 

 day. and then found, to my surprise, that but very few of the dust-like objects remained in 



