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getlier upon a twig; the interior was divided into three com- 

 partments, each of wrhicli contained a small quantity of what 

 looked like greengage jam. On placing a sample of this under 

 the microscope it was seen to consist almost entirely of pollen, 

 mixed into a mass with some colloid substance easily soluble 

 in water. The material of w^hich the structure was composed 

 was also seen under the microscope to consist of vegetable hairs, 

 scarcely distinguishable from those found in the stem and leaves 

 of the Edelweiss. There could be no doubt that the object was 

 the nest of some kind of bee, and that the pollen had been col- 

 lected as food for the larvae. On searching at the Natural 

 History Museum he found specimens of similar nests, which 

 were said to be those of Serapis denticulatus, and the hair w^as 

 said to come from a species of Cape Everlasting (Helipterium). 

 Some time later he received another structure apparently of a 

 similar kind, but though the inner portion was made of vege- 

 table hairs felted together, as in the former case, the outside 

 was covered with a dense layer of dark hair, obviously that of 

 some small fur-bearing animal. This nest had suffered a good 

 deal at the hands of some local investigator, but he found that 

 the plan of its construction was much the same as the other, 

 and that the ''jam" inside was of a bright vermilion colour. 

 This colour was discharged at once by the action of benzole, 

 and the pollen of which the mass was composed was indistin- 

 guishable from that in the nest before mentioned. He was 

 unable at the time to identify this with anything previously 

 described, and there seemed little chance of ascertaining what 

 kind of bee had constructed it. This question, however, un- 

 expectedly settled itself during his absence from home in 

 September; for on returning he found a bee in the box with the 

 nest, which had obviously emerged from the pupa state in the 

 interim. This was identified at the Museum with those of the 

 genus Serapis, whilst the tooth-like "^spines along the sides of 

 the abdomen suggested that the specific name denticulatus 

 would aptly apply. A third nest had since then been received ; 

 this was built upon an apple twig, and differed somewhat in 

 shape and construction from the others. He had not yet 

 examined the internal arrangements, in the hope that if 

 undisturbed in this case also some of the insects might 

 develop. As regarded the animal's hair, it seemed to agree in 



