The Mason-bees 



parts of the law. Once established, the 

 Mason is not disturbed in her home, while 

 she, in her turn, does not disturb the stranger 

 who has settled down before her in an old 

 nest, the patrimony of her family. The easy- 

 going disinherited one leaves the Bohemian 

 to enjoy the ruined manor in peace and goes 

 to another pebble to establish herself at fresh 

 expense. 



In the first rank of these free tenants, I 

 will place an Osmia {Osmia cyanoxantha, 

 Perez) and a Megachile, or Leaf-cutting 

 Bee {Megachile apicalis, Spin.), both of 

 whom work in May, at the same time as the 

 Mason, while both are small enough to lodge 

 from five to eight cells in a single chamber of 

 the Chalicodoma, a chamber increased by the 

 addition of an outer hall. The Osmia sub- 

 divides this space into very irregular com- 

 partments, by means of slanting, upright or 

 curved partitions, subject to the dictates of 

 space. There is no art, consequently, in the 

 accumulation of little cells; the architect's 

 only task is to use the breadth at her dis- 

 posal in a frugal manner. The material em- 

 ployed for the partitions is a green, vegetable 

 putty, which the Osmia must obtain by chew- 

 266 



