IV 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Lapidary-Bees 59 



Pertinacity in defending their nest 59 



Hamble-Bee^ 59 



Structures of their nests ... 59 



Social-Wasps 59 



Nest founded by a single female . 59 

 Compared with the Burrowing- 



Owl 61 



Materials rasped off from wood . 62 

 Different opinions of Naturalists . 63 

 Paper made by Wasps ... 63 

 Structure of the nest .... 63 

 Extraordinary number of cells . 65 



Hornet's nest 67 



Tree- Wasps' nests in Ayrshire . 68 

 Rose-shaped Wasps'-nest . . .69 

 Vertical Wasps'-nest .... 70 

 Wasp-paper compared with ours . 72 

 Card-making Wasp of Cayenne . 74 



CHAPTER V. 



Architecture of the Hive-Bee. . 78 

 Discoveries from Aristomachus to 



Maraldi and Huber ... 78 

 Nurse-Bees and Wax-workers . 80 

 Preparation of wax .... 81 

 Erroneous account by the Abb^ 



la Pluche 82 



Conjectures of Reaumur. . . 83 

 Discovery of John Hunter . , 83 

 Experiments of M. Huber . . 84 

 Singular facts by Mr. Wiston . 87 

 Dissections by Huber, Madlle. 



Jurine, and M. Latreille . . 89 



Propolis 91 



Opinions of Old Naturalists . . 92 

 Discovery by Huber. ... 92 

 Various uses of propolis. . . 93 

 Mr. T. A, Knight's observations 95 

 Basket for carrying on the thighs 



of Bees 96 



Process of loading . . . .96 

 Building of the cells .... 97 

 Division of labour .... 97 

 Festooned curtain of Wax-workers 98 

 Commencement of the combs . 100 

 Huber's history of his experimentslOO 



Secretion of wax 101 



Foundation of the first cell . .101 

 Workers extract their own wax . 101 

 View of the proceedings obstructed 104 



CHAPTER VI. 



Pac 



Form of the cells 105 



Mathematical problem solved by 



Bees 105 



Calculated by ]\Iaraldi and Koenig 106 

 Reasons for the form of the cells. 106 

 Referred to the form of the Bee. 107 

 Experiments of Huber . . . 107 

 Cells commenced in the foundation- 

 wall 109 



Deepening of the cells . . .111 

 Polishing by Nurse-Bees . .112 

 Distance of the combs from each 



other 113 



Dr. Barclay's discovery . . .114 

 Irregularities in their workmanship 114 

 Anecdote from Dr. Bevan . .114 

 Similar anecdote from Huber , 115 

 Symmetry in the architecture of 

 Bees explained . . , .116 



Curved combs 116 



Experiments of Huber . . .117 

 Size of male cells .... 118 

 Cells enlarged when honey is 



plentiful 119 



The finishing of the cells . , .120 

 Varnished with propolis . .120 

 Strengthened with pissoceros . 121 

 Discovery by Huber . . . 121 

 Cells strengthened by the Bee- 

 grubs 123 



Difficulties explained . . . 123 

 Mistake of an American writer . 123 

 Curious experiments of Huber . 124 



Wild Honey-Bees 124 



Wild-Bees of America, Ireland, 



Palestine 124 



Honey-guide of Africa . . .126 

 Bee-hunting in America. , . 127 



CHAPTER VII. 



Carpentry of Treehoppers (Cicadoe) 129 

 Mistaken for Grasshoppers , .129 

 Singular cutting instrument of the 



Treehopper 130 



Double files of 131 



Their nests 132 



Saw-Flies 133 



Their ovipositor 133 



Structure of 134 



