^20 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



friendly companion, and there are many examples of such structures, as the 

 present writer has pointed out with some detail in his book on Messmates ; 

 but it would be much more extraordinary if such provision were made for 

 the comfort of an enemy who is supposed to brini^' about the untimely death of 

 its benefactor. 



The habits of these bees make it a difficult matter to determine precisely what 

 are the relations subsisting between the bee and the mite, but we believe that fuller 

 investigation will show that the mites are scavengers, feeding upon the debris, 

 and possibly germs, that cling to the long hairs with which both carpenter-bees 

 and humble-bees are clothed. It is worthy of note in this connection that the 

 males of both kinds of bees do not perform any of the mining in wood or earth that is 

 calculated to bring about the soiling of this hairy coat. They spend their short 

 existence in the open air and sunshine, and are not troubled by mites ; but if the mites 

 were parasites the male bees should be as acceptable food-providers as their mates. 



Certain 



butterflies, 

 the 

 fre- 

 have 

 more 



large 



notably 

 " blues, 

 quently 

 one or 

 rather 



red mites upon 

 them ; but it 

 seems prob- 

 able that in 

 this case tliey 

 are m e r e 1 y 

 using the 

 butterflies as 

 stage coaches 

 to c o n \^ e \' 



them from plant to plant. On page 138 of this work there is a photograph of 

 the big West Indian cockroach known as the Drummer. In the middle of the 

 back of the specimen photographed there is a light patch, which cannot be 

 resolved into an\'thing definite in the reproduction, but when we examined the 

 Insect with a lens, the patch proved to consist of a large number of mites, which 

 probably ke]:)t clean the Drummer's back where the over-lapping wings prevented 

 brushing witli tlie hind-legs. Many beetles have mites constantly upon their under 

 sides in considerable numbers ; but the beetles so affected are alwavs such as feed 

 upon filth or burrow in the earth, and it appears most lik(^]y that their office is to 

 keep clean those portions of the beetle which the inflexible armour with which it is 

 encased will not permit the Insect to get at witli its legs. Among these beetles 

 may be mentioned the dor, or watchman-beetle, that manipulates dung and burrows 

 beneath it, the species of aphodius, that have similar habits, and the burying 

 beetles, that come in contact with iilth of another kind. It is the view of the 



Photo by] [H.Bastm. 



A Pocket for Mites. 



A large species of caqjenter-bee which has a special chamber in its hind-body for the accommodation of a 

 swarm of mites, variously estimated as parasites and scavengers. The arrow points to the entrance of the 

 chamber. 



