BEHAVIOR OF A PARASITIC BEE 383 



At 10.04 A. M., six bees were in the sunlight on the window- 

 side of the cage and one was sipping honey, in the sunhght, 

 on the floor. No other bees were in sight. At 10.10 a. ai., 

 five bees were either resting on or hovering near the netting 

 on the sunny window-side of the cage and four were in the sun- 

 hght on the floor. Three of the latter, two females and one 

 male, were eating honey. Frequently a bee would fly in all 

 directions about the cage and then finally alight on the netting 

 on the sunny window-side of the cage. 



Two bees were seen in copulo. (For description of the same 

 see the section on " Mating Habits.") 



The bees that had been feeding on the honey, on departing, 

 made a short flight of orientation and then alighted on the 

 sunny window-side of the cage. (For full description see the 

 section on the " Feeding Habits.") 



At 10.20 A. M., three were in the sunlight on the window- 

 side of the cage, two were in the sunlight on the floor, and the 

 rest were in the shadow. 



From now until 11. 14 a. m., the cage was kept in a room well 

 lighted by diffuse daylight hut where it was impossible for the direct 

 rays of the sun to reach the cage. 



At the close of the period two bees were noticed in copulo. 

 No bees were in copulo at the time the cage was placed in the 

 diffuse daylight. 



Experiment 14. — At 11.30 a. m., I placed an opaque screen 

 over the upper six inches of the window-side of the cage. This 

 caused the upper portion of the window-side of the cage, the side 

 remote from the window, the top and a portion of the bottom to be 

 in the sunlight. 



Two pairs of bees were noticed in copulo on the floor; one 

 in the shadow and one with the anterior half of the body in the 

 sunlight and the other half in the shadow. 



At 11.35 ^- ^^-^ several of the bees were flying at random about 

 the cage. With few exceptions, whenever one attempted to 

 alight it was on the sunny netting of that side of the cage through 

 which the direct rays of the sun were entering. Sometimes 

 the bee would strike the netting with such force that it would 

 be knocked to the ground. At the same time that these bees 

 were flying at random about the cage, other bees were wandering 



