52 Bulletin Wisconsin Natural History Society. [Vol. 9, Nos. 1-2. 



from the petiole, being' without doubt the oldest or first three) meas- 

 uring- 11 mm. in leng-fh. the last (11th) but 4 mm.; the cells also 

 varied in shape, the two central interior cells being hexagonal, each 

 side forming within the cell an obtuse angle with the others, while 

 the eight exterior cells, which have at least one side free, are either 

 quadrilateral or pentagonal; but the last (11th) cell has the outline 

 of its mouth semicircular or rather U-shaped, the remaining side being 

 straight. 



The egg in each cell was deposited in all cases at the crease or 

 angle between two of the sides of the cell, and on its side, hence 

 perpendicular to the horizon. The side of the cell upon which it was 

 deposited varied somewhat but none were deposited on those sides 

 away from the center of the nest, but in all of these cases the egg had 

 been fastened on that side of each cell that was nearest to an imag- 

 inary center of the nest ; also each cell — excepting the smallest and 

 last and one of the deepest and oldest — contained a single drop (or 

 several) of a clear honey-yellow, mucilaginous substance, resembling- 

 clear gum, but which was thin in consistency and had a sweet taste 

 like the nectar of honeysuckle. This substance adhered to a side of 

 the cell, appearing like a drop of water on a horizontal surface, did 

 not run and was situated in these cases always on that side of any 

 cell which was opposite to the egg: the droplets varied in size from 

 1.20 to 2.25 mm. diameter, were round in outline from above and con- 

 vex. They were also usually placed in the crease between two sides 

 of a cell and in relation to the egg were either above or below it, 

 the majority in these cases being below the egg (natural position of 

 nest). Three of the cells of this nest contained two of these droplets 

 each, both side by side. No eggs had hatched : their relative distance 

 from the apex of each cell also varies. At 9 a. m., May 25, the nest 

 was placed in the room with the two females and pinned to the wall 

 in its usual position. 



The nest under direct observation does now also contain the food 

 droplets not noticed previously, though not as many cells contain 

 them as with the other nest. They have been recently added. 



May 25: — The queen remained on top of the nest all of the morn- 

 ing ; in the afternoon she made several trips away, starting another 

 (twelfth) cell against the eleventh; she returned for the night at 5:30 

 p. m. Paining until 9 a. m. ; fair to cloudy and warmer by 9:40 a. m. 

 and so through the day. 



