THE GROUND BEE. 33 



of the bees, is quite significant. By the loth of May, hundreds 

 of Audrena holes were found in various parts of the pasture, 

 and at one place, in a previous season, there were about two 

 hundred found placed within a small area. One cell was dug 

 up, but it contained no pollen. Four days later, several Andre- 

 nas were noticed resting from their toil at the opening of^their 

 burrows. On the 28th of May, in unearthing six holes, eight 

 cells were found to contain pollen, and in two of them a small 

 larva. The pellets of pollen ai-e about the size o^ small pea. 

 They are hard and round at first, before the young has hatched, 

 but as the larva grows, the mass becomes softer and more 

 past}', so that the larva buries its head in the mass, and greedily 

 sucks it in. When is the pollen gathered by the bee and kneaded 

 into the pellet-like mass? On July 4th, a cell was opened in 

 which was a bee busily engaged preparing the pollen, which was 

 loosely and irregularly piled up, while there was a larva in an 

 adjoining cell nearly half an incli long. It would seem, then, 

 that the bee comes in from the fields laden with her stores of 

 pollen, which she elaborates into bee bread within her cell. 



When the bee returns to her cell she does not directly fly 

 towards the entrance, since, as was noticed in a particular 

 instance, she flew about for a long time in all directions without 

 any apparent aim, until she finally settled near the hole, and 

 walked into her subterranean retreat. On a rainy day, May 

 24th, our friend visited the colony, but found no bees flying 

 about the holes. The little hillocks had been beaten down by 

 the pitiless raindrops, and all traces of their industry efiaced. 

 On digging down, several bees were found, indicating that on 

 rainy days they seek the shelter of their holes, and do not take 

 refuge under leaves of the plants they frequent. 



On the 29th of June, six full-grown larvae ^w^e exhumed, and 

 one, about half grown. On the 20th of July, the colony seemed 

 well organized, as, on laying open a burrow at the depth of six 

 inches, he began to flnd cells. The upper ones, to the number 

 of a dozen, were deserted and filled with earth and grass roots, 

 and had evidently been built and used during the previous year. 

 Below these were eight cells placed around the main vertical 

 gallery, reaching down to the depth of thirteen inches, and all 

 containing nearly full-grown larvae of the bees, or else those of 

 'some parasitic bee (Noraada) which had -devoured the food pre- 

 pared for the young Andrena. 



