The Mason-bees 



pebbly borders of the mountain streams with 

 gold, supply her with sugary liquid and pol- 

 len. She comes with her crop swollen with 

 honey and her belly yellowed underneath with 

 pollen-dust. She dives head first into the 

 cell; and for a few moments you see some 

 spasmodic jerks which show that she is dis- 

 gorging the honey-syrup. After emptying her 

 crop, she comes out of the cell, only to go in 

 again at once, but this time backwards. The 

 Bee now brushes the lower side of her ab- 

 domen with her two hindlegs and rids her- 

 self of her load of pollen. Once more she 

 comes out and once more goes in head first. 

 It is a question of stirring the materials, with 

 her mandibles for a spoon, and making the 

 whole into a homogeneous mixture. This 

 mixing-operation is not repeated after every 

 journey: it takes place only at long intervals, 

 when a considerable quantity of material has 

 been accumulated. 



The victualling is complete when the cell 

 is half full. An egg must now be laid on the 

 top of the paste and the house must be closed. 

 All this is done without delay. The cover 

 consists of a lid of pure mortar, which the 

 Bee builds by degrees, working from the cir- 



20 



