120 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



an opening witli the first legs. The bee is pushed backward a 

 little as she goes in but does not often project from under her 

 abdomen. 



At fifteen minutes after ten the worker from nest ISTo. 1 

 brought in a bee, and from that time the two worked indus- 

 triously. Thej showed some individuality in their ways, for 

 !N^o. 2 always closed her door when she went away and never 

 circled at all, while Ko. 1 invariably circled before leaving and 

 always left her nest open. To be sure, there was a female left 

 on guard, so that perhaps she did not feel the need of caution. 



Our wasps had not far to go for their victims. Forty feet 

 away,^ on the eastera side of the island, was a steep declivity, 

 and here, in the soft crumbly soil, was a great Halictus settle- 

 ment. 'No prettier sight can be imagined than is presented by 

 this colony on every sunny summer day. The whole bank is 

 riddled with nests and at the entrance of each stands a male bee, 

 his tiny head exactly filling the opening. The females are con- 

 stantly arriving, laden with pollen, whereupon the males po- 

 litely back inward to make way for them. Into this scene of 

 contented industry descends the ravaging PhilantJnis, taking 

 males and females alike. 



On the afternoon of the fourteenth, of August our two work- 

 ers were in the full tide of affairs. No. 1 took in eleven bees 

 within two hours, but her record was somewhat confused as two 

 other females were going in and out at the same time. We felt 

 sure that neither of these was hunting, but one of them shared 

 in the labor of, the nest by helping with the work of excavation. 



No. 2, however, was alone, so that we could keep a definite 

 account of her comings and goings. Her record is as follows: 



Left. Returned. Left. Returned. 



1.48 2.07 3.38 3.55 



2.08 2.11 • 3.56 4.03 



2.12 2.19 4.04 4.22 



2.20 2.30 4.23 4.25 



2.31 2.37 4.26 4.55 



2.38 3.07 4.56 4.57 



3.08 3.28 4.58 5.20 



