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



Arrived at the house the casts were laid out on boards, each series 

 by itself, with its stick and head mark, and in the evening they were 

 dry enough and hard enough to clean. Of course the round, simple 

 perpendiculars could be easily cleared of the adherent sand by a stiff 

 brush ; but the cell clusters were usually a mass of sand and clay, and 

 it was utterly impossible to tell what would come forth out of the 

 lump. Dissecting needles and small brushes came into play here, 

 and it was sometimes close to midnight before a day's field work 

 would be finally laid out so as to show a proper record. When 

 working alone, Mr. Brakeley made full notes of all that was done 

 and seen and these notes, which gave as clear a picture as personal 

 observation could have done, were sent me with the casts. 



The first blue bee was noticed by Mr. Brakeley, May ist, on flowers 

 and thereafter an occasional specimen was seen. After a day or two 

 of pleasant weather. May 14th proved one of those hot, sunny spring 

 days that seem to have an electric power to start into activity all liv- 

 ing creatures. This day terminated the hibernating period of Augo- 

 chlora and sent them out among the flowers with a rush. The air was 

 full of life, and bees were hovering over the sand in every direction. 



Now it might be supposed that, having spent several months un- 

 derground, the insects would enjoy themselves a trifle in the sunshine, 

 and would assume family cares only after due deliberation, first clear- 

 ing up and restoring their winter quarters into summer freshness ; but 

 being ladies, they did nothing of the kind. Hardly taking time for 

 a full meal, each individual began at once to dig a new burrow, dis- 

 appearing beneath the surface in a moment and indicating progress by 

 the gradual forcing up of a little heap of sand. It is a fact that not 

 one of the bees returned to the hibernating burrow and, despite the 

 fact that the ground was fairly riddled with available perpendiculars 

 from which new laterals could be driven, not one was so used. For 

 every bee there was a new burrow. Their method was to fly restlessly 

 here and there over the sand, hover for a few moments at one point, 

 then at another and, finally as by a sudden resolve, drop to the sur- 

 face and disappear. It was all done in a moment and a brilliant 

 metallic greenish or bluish bee, seemed changed into a little heaving 

 mound of sand. Then even this motion stopped for a few moments 

 until a sudden heave forced out a little lump of sand, and the new 

 burrow was fairly begun. At this time the digging is done chiefly 

 with the fore-legs which loosen the sand and force it back a little. 



