Dec, 191 1.] Grossbeck : Emphor bombiformis. 241 



hasty survey of the wreck, flew away in a zig-zag manner, rapidly 

 examining other nests in the vicinity and returned to the broken one. 

 This was repeated several times. Twice during these performances 

 it engaged in momentary combat with another bee as though the 

 latter were in some way responsible for the destruction of the nest. 

 F"inally it began to clear away the wreckage in mad haste, and when 

 this had been done, peered into the hole and walked leisurly in. A 

 little later it brought bits of mud from below in its mandibles and 

 began mending the broken turret. 



When the cell is completed it is provisioned with pollen, and it 

 is a noticeable fact that pollen laden bees locate their burrows im- 

 mediately. There was no uncertainty displayed as in the morning 

 hours, when no pollen was gathered and no preliminary buzzing or 

 circling about ; but one direct flight to the entrance of the burrow 

 where the bee plunged in and disappeared instantly. 



The first bee that arrived with pollen, it is true, buzzed around 

 in large circles before entering; but that was undoubtedly because 

 of my close proximity to the nest at the time. 



The bright yellow pollen is gathered from the swamp rose mallow 

 (Hibiscus moschatus) and carried in surprisingly large flocculent 

 masses on the hind legs. Rarely small flakes are dropped in flight 

 or brushed off at the entrance of the nest, but this is unusual for as 

 a rule the little worker knows how to manage her load. 



Despite the large size of the individual loads of pollen carried, 

 quite a number of trips are made before sufficient material is col- 

 lected to form the solid pollen ball into which the masses are finally 

 shaped. One bee provisioned its burrow in exactly thirty six minutes 

 after she arrived with the first load — an average, allowing three 

 minutes for the gathering of load number one — of about four mfnutes 

 to the load. Rarely did she stay more than one minute in the nest. 

 When the tenth load had been deposited she flew away and did not 

 return until ten minutes had passed; then after a momentary examina- 

 tion of the interior of the nest departed again and returned after 

 fifteen minutes. Finally she flew away again and I saw no more 

 of her. 



Into one burrow three loads of pollen were taken at about one 

 minute intervals. This bee, it appeared, was exceptionally industrious 

 and attention was centered on this one burrow. Soon a fourth load 



