OF WASHINGTON. 21 



trees. The single exception was that of a swarm which had 

 located in one of the iron posts supporting the porch of a house 

 at Kaltura, on the southwestern coast. The only entrance to this 

 nest was through a small hole scarcely 5 mm. in diameter in the 

 side of the iron post a Jiole probably caused by an air-bubble 

 when the pillar was cast. The occupants of the pillar evidently 

 considered themselves secure within their iron walls, with so 

 small an opening for ingress, for they had constructed no outer 

 defences. The same thing was noticed in all instances where the 

 trees in which the nests were located were tolerably sound and 

 the entrance-holes were small. But in severaf where the 

 entrances were 10 mm. to 25 mm. in diameter the bees had built 

 a ridge or rim 10 to 15 mm. high around the flight-hole. The 

 sticky material used seemed to be a resinous gum, as in the case 

 of the entrance-tubes of Melipona, and, like them also, the ma 

 terial appeared similar to the propolis collected by our honey 

 bees. Upon a casual examination I thought gnawings of bark 

 had been incorporated into the mass. Under a lens it appears 

 to be composed of particles of resin ; it tastes like resin and burns 

 like resin or pitch ; it is much harder than wax and is quite 

 brittle at temperatures at which wax is soft and more or less 

 ductile ; in fact, it shows none of the characteristics of real wax, 

 but does show most of those of propolis as we know it here. I 

 am therefore decidedly of the opinion that these entrance-tubes 

 contain no wax, but are almost, if not wholly, constructed of 

 propolis. The edges of these curious defences were as thin as 

 ordinary cardboard, while at the bases where attached to the 

 trees they were two or three millimeters thick. In one instance, 

 in the jungle near Kaltura. I found a nest located in a small stub 

 in which, a little farther down, a colony of ants had also established 

 itself. The Trigonas had extended their tubular defence out 

 some 20 mm. and then downward, or perhaps in the heat the 

 tube had naturally assumed that position, as it had reached a 

 length of about 20 cm., the diameter varying from 10 to 25 mm., 

 the tube being somewhat flattened. Through this tube the bees 

 reached their nest, entering at the lower end, the only opening, 

 and I noticed that the ants, usually so ravenous and destructive 

 in this as well as other tropical regions, avoided this somewhat 

 sticky tube. I carefully removed this tube, portions of which I 

 now place before you, and the nest of Trigonas from its lodge 

 ment in the tree and placed it in a small box, and being about to 

 proceed eastward took it with me. The insects bore the confine 

 ment of the five days' sea-voyage to Singapore very well. They 

 were permitted to'fly there a couple of days and then confined 

 for three days more on the journey to the Island of Java. Upon 

 being released, with a number of colonies of Apis mellifica I 

 had brought with me, at the Dutch East Indian Agricultural 



