The Mason-bees 



by this untimely trowelhng: the moment has 

 come to wall up the door; the door is walled 

 up. Once the mandibles are free, the extrac- 

 tion could be attempted, at the risk of wreck- 

 ing the lid. But the Bee does nothing of the 

 sort: she keeps on fetching mortar; and the 

 lid is religiously finished. 



We might go on to say that, if the Bee were 

 obliged to depart in quest of fresh mortar 

 after dropping the first to withdraw the straw, 

 she would leave the egg unguarded; and that 

 this would be an extreme measure which the 

 mother cannot bring herself to adopt. Then 

 why does she not place the pellet on the rim 

 of the cell ? The mandibles, now free, would 

 remove the beam; the pellet would be taken 

 up again at once ; and everything would go to 

 perfection. But no: the insect has its mortar 

 and, come what may, employs it on the work 

 for which it was intended. 



If any one sees a rudiment of reason in 

 this Hymenopteron intelligence, he has eyes 

 that are more penetrating than mine. I see 

 nothing in all this but an invincible persistence 

 in the act once begun. The cogs have 

 gripped; and the rest of the wheels must fol- 

 low. The mandibles are fastened on the pel- 

 184 



