90 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. V. 



destitute of this apparatus, makes use of a different 

 contrivance to convey provender to its nest. "I 

 observed," says Reaumur, "several of these in- 

 sects walking- in the little forest of stamina which 

 surrounds the flower of the poppy; by their bulk 

 and weight they upset and pressed down all the fila- 

 ments which crossed their path ; during- their pro- 

 g-n^ss, their hind logs became covered with the 

 pollen or yellow dust which adhered to the downy 

 hairs on their surface. After they had buried them- 

 selves successively in several flowers, each of the 

 last pair of legs appeared as if enveloped in a foot- 

 less boot." With this load the insect flew to the 

 nest, brushed off the pollen adhering to its legs, 

 which, mixed and tempered with a proper supply of 

 honey, was then deposited in the cell. 



Each of the circles visible in the piece of wood 

 marks a pause in the labours of the architect ; and 

 the sum of their number bears testimony to that in- 

 defatigable industry which formed thein, grain by 

 grain, into a solid mass. 



The sawdust u^ed for this purpose is a portion of 

 thnt which the insect had thrown out while exca- 

 vating the tube. When shovelled out by the bee, it 

 falls on the ground, and forms a little heap near the 

 plank or piece of dry wood in which the insect is at 

 work. When the ingenious little carpenter wants 

 materials to form the partitions between the differ- 

 ent compartments in the tube, it issues forth, alights 

 upon this heap of sawdust, selects a grain of this 

 dust, and flies away with it to the interior of the 

 cavity. This proceeding is regularly repeated until 

 the whole work has been completed. 



From the order in which the eggs are placed, it 

 follows, that the worms are of different ages in the 

 different cells ; consequently the lowest emerge the 

 first. But how is it to get out? Does it wait till 

 all those above it have escaped from their cells 1 

 A provision is made for this emergency. The larvae, 



