310 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. 



(See Plate 24, Figs, 8 and 9.) The cutting was 

 beautifully neat, and the head of the insect moved 

 around rapidly and smoothly. In watching the bee 

 cut one of these larger pieces one would think it 

 was going to cut a smaller circle, but on reaching 

 the half circle, it works along, enlarging the piece, 

 when it curves around again, cutting the piece off. 

 The piece is then slightly bent from the outer 

 edges and carried away with ease under the body 

 and held by the legs. Some of the bees almost 

 stood on their heads in the cutting process, but the 

 majority were just slightly inclined. If one placed 

 one's head close to the bee while it was cutting, the 

 noise of the working mandibles could be heard quite 

 distinctly, like the "click, click" of a pair of scis- 

 sors. 



An amusing- incident occurred. One of the bees 

 in severing a rather larger piece than the average, 

 cut into a leaf vein, for on setting out with its 

 booty it was jerked back by a thread of tissue from 

 the vein and had to pull several times before it 

 f nally broke the thread and flew off in triumph or 

 in anger. 



Most of the leaves cut into showed that the bees 

 selected any leaf for either side pieces or 

 top pieces for the cells, but occasionally we saw 

 leaves with a series of small circular holes only. 

 Pieces of fading yellow leaves of roses were also 

 itsed. The rose leaves and leaves of hazel-nut plants 

 were evidently the favourites, though the leaves of 

 honeysuckle, plum, and apple were also used. 



The hum of the&e bees is quite distinct from 



