BEES. 207 



scavengers ; they we^re about 2 m . m . long. We 

 bred out two ruby-wasps from this nest. (Plate 

 16, Fig. 10.) 



The Carpenter Bees. — One of our Australian car- 

 penters is called Xylocopa : it is a large, sturdy- 

 looking bee, which is found chiefly in Northern New 

 South Wales and Queensland. 



Another genus is Lestis, which may be found 

 boring in the stems of the grass tree {Xanthorr- 

 hoea), in which it makes a. number of little cells 

 where it stores a paste of honey and pollen. 



Genus Podaliriiis, or ''blue-banded bees," which 

 are so often seen on the flowers of the bush and 

 in gardens. When flying from flower to flower to 

 get honey it has a quick jerky motion, but when 

 near the flower it hovers over it a little, moving 

 its wings in such a manner that they appear motion- 

 less. We watched hive bees {Apis melliftca). and 

 several bees of species Podalirius visiting the flowers 

 of the large golden **pea-flower" (Gonipho- 

 lobiiini), and it was very interesting to see how 

 much better the native blue-banded bee opened 

 the flower in its search after nectar than the hive- 

 bee. As it alighted on the flower, the flower 



spread open wide, brushing the pollen on 

 to the bee. The hive bee opened it also 

 but much less effectively. It has been 



recorded that this blue-banded bee visits the Bon- 

 vardia, but does not aid in the pollination, for it nips 

 the flower just where the pollen boxes of the flow- 

 ers are placed, about midway in the tube, and it 



