THEODORE H. PRISON 145 



spot I witnessed the reverse of this phouomcuon, for I saw only 

 one female bee among the large number of bees flying about 

 the entrance burrows. By breaking open some of the cells I 

 discovered that the females were just beginning to emerge 

 from their cells, the males having preceded them. I never 

 found out what finally happened to the males, but judge that 

 after they had mated with the females they spent the remainder 

 of their short existence loitering about on flowers as do many 

 male bees. 



F. Mining Operations and Attendant Activities 



The scene presented on July 3, 1919, was an animated picture 

 of industry, for the females were busily engaged in their nest 

 building operations. A few females, either more industrious 

 than the rest or favored by a slightly earlier date of emergence, 

 seemed to have completed their residences. The vast majority, 

 however, were still in the midst of the construction of their 

 subterranean homes or wore looking for a favorable site in which 

 to start their burrowing. Everything seemed to be in con- 

 fusion, yet rapid progress was being made everywhere. I was 

 not surprised to find that in several instances bees returning to 

 the bank entered the wrong holes. When this happened and 

 the rightful owner was at home, the invasion was hurriedly 

 repelled as evidenced by a pronounced buzzing and the hasty 

 exit of the invader. On one occasion I saw the proprietor of a 

 burrow drag her unwelcome guest out by one leg. Several 

 times the rightful occupant of the burrow and the invading bee 

 were in such a close embrace that both fell out and down the 

 precipitous side of the bank together. Strangely enough I 

 never saw these bees while thus quarrelling attempt to sting one 

 another. Such quarrelling among solitary bees living close 

 together has been previously noted by Grossbeck in the case of 

 Emphor homhiformis (=fuscojubatus). The same species, ac- 

 cording to the observations of Nichols, "on the contrary, so far 

 as we could tell lived together, mutually harmonious, yet inde- 

 pendent." Individual differences no doubt exist between 

 members of the same species, but I am inclined to believe that 

 local conditions and varying circumstances were responsil)le for 

 the differences noted by these two last mentioned authors. 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XLVUI. 



