More Enquiries into Mason-bees 



of the insect. I must mark the Bee, carry her 

 to a distance and release her, without taking 

 her in my fingers, without once touching her. 

 The experiment was bound to gain by these 

 nice precautions. I will describe the method 

 which I adopted. 



The Bee is so much engrossed in her work 

 when she buries her abdomen in the cell and 

 rids herself of her load of pollen, or when 

 she is building, that it is easy, at such times, 

 without alarming her, to mark the upper side 

 of the thorax with a straw dipped in the col- 

 oured glue. The insect is not disturbed by 

 that slight touch. It flies off; it returns laden 

 with mortar or pollen. You allow these trips 

 to be repeated until the mark on the thorax 

 is quite dry, which soon happens in the hot 

 sun necessary to the Bee's labours. The next 

 thing is to catch her and Imprison her in a 

 paper bag, still without touching her. No- 

 thing could be easier. You place a small test- 

 tube over the Bee engrossed in her work; the 

 insect, on leaving, rushes into it and is thence 

 transferred to the paper bag, which is forth- 

 with closed and placed in the tin box that will 

 serve as a conveyance for the whole party. 

 When releasing the Bees, all you have to do is 

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