The Mason-bees 



some homeless vagabond, to call at the nest, 

 take a fancy to it and set to work on it, some- 

 times at the same cell, sometimes at the next, 

 if there are several vacant, which is generally 

 the case in the old nests. The first occupier, 

 on her return, never fails to drive away the 

 intruder, who always ends by being turned 

 out, so keen and invincible Is the mistress' 

 sense of ownership. Reversing the savage 

 Prussian maxim, "Might is right," among the 

 Mason-bees right is might, for there is no 

 other explanation of the invariable retreat of 

 the usurper, whose strength is not a whit in- 

 ferior to that of the real owner. If she is 

 less bold, this is because she has not the tre- 

 mendous moral support of knowing herself in 

 the right, which makes itself respected, among 

 equals, even in the brute creation. 



The second of my travellers does not reap- 

 pear, either on the day when the first arrived 

 or on the following days. I decide upon an- 

 other experiment, on this occasion with five 

 subjects. The starting-place is the same; and 

 the place of arrival, the distance, the time of 

 day, all remain unchanged. Of the five with 

 whom I experiment, I find three at their nests 

 next day; the two others are missing. 

 46 



