THE HOMING OF THE BURROWING-BEES. 25 5 



dropped. Emerging at once, it hovered a moment and then 

 dropped into the same hole. Again emerging it moved westward 

 and dropped into its burrow. On emerging from the nest, it 

 went immediately afield. 



Experiment III. 



While the bee was afield, I placed, before each of the holes I had 

 made, except holes R^ and R^, an inverted tin cap of a coca-cola 

 bottle. The other conditions zvcre the same as in experiment II. 



On returning from the field, the bee arrived at brick \'\\. It 

 turned about so as to face the northern surface of the border, and, 

 in the hovering and sidling manner mentioned above, moved east- 

 ward, hovering momentarily over holes L^, L^, L^, L^, until it 

 reached the nest, which it entered immediately. There it tarried 

 a moment, then departed, without stopping to examine the sur- 

 roundings, for the pollen-fields. 



Experiment IV. 



While the bee -was afield, I placed a small tent of ivhite paper 

 over the burrow. The tent, the whole north end of %vhich ivas open, 

 was three inches wide, at the base, tzvo inches high and three inches 

 long. The other conditions tvere the same as in experitnent III 



On returning from the field, the bee arrived at brick W^. It 

 then turned about so as to face the northern surface of the border 

 and then, in the hovering and sidling manner mentioned above, 

 it moved along, hovering, in the order mentioned, above holes 

 ■ Z^, Z3, Z.„ Z,. On reaching the tent, it retraced its steps, hover- 

 ing over holes Z,, Z^, Z3, Z^. It then resumed its eastward jour- 

 ney. Although it had been sometime since the bee returned 

 from the field, yet it had not entered any hole. At this stage, 

 however, it dropped into hole R^. Emerging, it hovered a mo- 

 ment and then reentered the same hole. Emerging from the 

 hole, it began to fly about in a random manner. Evidently it 

 could not locate the burrow. It had passed over the tent several 

 times, but had made no attempt to enter it. 



/ mnv removed the tent, thus leavi)ig everything in the same con- 

 dition as in experiment III. 



In a few moments the bee reached the nest and, after hovering 



