516 



INSECTS ABKOAD. 



The females remain on or close to the flowers, while the more 

 powerful male hovers above, like a hawk watching its prey. 

 Mr. F. Smith tells me that he has seen the male of our only 

 English species, Antliidium manicatum, suddenly swoop down, 

 just as a hawk stoops upon its quarry, pounce on one of the 

 females and carry her off. 



The second peculiarity in these bees is the method in 

 which they construct their nests. 

 Although they build in holes, 

 it is believed that they do not 

 burrow, but that they usually 

 make use of any convenient 

 hole that can be found, mostly 

 in a burrow made by some large 

 wood - boring insect. Having 

 selected a suitable burrow, the 

 mother-bee goes off in search of 

 some woolly plant, from which 

 she strips the hair, running 

 along the stem and shaving off 

 the down as she goes. The 

 well-known '"'White of Sel- 

 borne " was the first to notice 

 this habit in the English species, 

 and he compares the action of 

 the bee to that of a hoop-shaver. The garden campion was the 

 plant frequented by the bees which he watched. There are 

 some foreign species which do not build in burrows, but make 

 their nests in the pure air, 

 placing them on branches. 



Tlie present species inhabits 

 Southern Europe, and has a 

 curiously waspish aspect. 



In the Noinada sexfasciata 

 we have a good example of the 

 group of insects called Wasp 

 Bees, because, though they are really bees, they Ijear a very 

 strong external resemblance to wasps. 



They are all parasitic, preying upon the nests of other bees. 



-Anthidiuin Florentinum. 

 (Black and yellow.) 



'JSl — Noiii.ul.i sexf.iscKita 

 (BliiK ,111(1 jlIIow ) 



