64 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. ix. 



and it did not seem reasonable to consider them as the brood that had 

 been born in the system where they were found. There were too many 

 complicated burrows with only a single bee, to make this probable. 



May 13th I reached Lahaway to find a " bee mine " well estab- 

 lished. It was six feet deep, with three perpendicular faces, the 

 fourth side sloped for convenience in getting out. The process was, 

 first clear a space in front of one of the perpendicular faces, usually 

 about 18 inches square, by cutting off with a large trowel two inches 

 of top surface. So full of holes was the ground here that anywhere 

 from six to a dozen openings would be exposed in this area and of 

 these three or four would be plaster filled. Usually 24 hours were 

 allowed for the plaster to set ; but sometimes casts made in the morn- 

 ing were taken out that same afternoon. Though every hole was not 

 plastered, yet every one on the way to the casts was investigated. 

 With a broad trowel the sandy face of the pit was sliced back until a 

 perpendicular was reached : then a small, sharp trowel came into 

 service to follow it carefully down, so as to expose all laterals and cell 

 clusters. These in turn were investigated by a thin palette knife, so 

 that we had clearly before us the whole digging record. Perpendic- 

 ulars were rarely followed below two feet, because experience had 

 taught us that no laterals or cell clusters were to be expected below 

 that point. Unless we wanted bees, the end of the burrow was neg- 

 lected. 



A notable fact in comparison with the diggings of CoUetes cotn- 

 pacta was that those of the Augochlora were perfectly clean and open 

 to the bottom, though covered with sand above. Not a trace of top 

 sand was ever found at the bottom of the tube, where care had been 

 taken to prevent its entrace from our own operations. 



When a cast was approached within three inches, the small trowel 

 was carefully used to reach the perpendicular, for we could never tell 

 to which side a cell cluster would be found. From the top down the 

 knife was used to bare the white cast, small slices only being made 

 downward until the direction of the first lateral was discovered. If 

 it ran to either side, matters were easy, for the cluster could be left 

 untouched and the perpendicular followed down until the next cluster 

 was located. When none was discovered at twelve inches from the 

 top we felt very certain that it went off backward, which was also a sat- 

 isfactory condition. Where a large cluster projected straight out for- 

 ward matters were more troublesome for a support must be left for 



