244 THE HUMBLE-BEE x 
silent and motionless in the places to which their 
excitement had led them, waiting patiently for any 
further signs of attack. A similarly-caused com- 
motion in a nest of L. helferanus, which appears 
to be a less excitable species than /apidarzus, sub- 
sided much more quickly. 
' August 6. The workers boldly investigate any- 
thing strange, and if I hold a stick to the comb will 
crawl up it and on to my fingers and hand. They 
much prefer my hand to the stick or to any articles 
I may present to them, and it is hard to coax them 
to leave it. So far I have not been stung, but they 
behave as if aware they are crawling upon a living 
being, fearing to venture far, and keeping on the 
look-out for a sudden attack. I offered pollen toa 
worker standing on my finger this evening, and she 
ate it greedily. 
Aug. 3. In the evening I saw a worker attack 
a large open egg-cell containing three eggs. I 
watched it seize an egg in its mouth and eat it 
quickly, evidently enjoying it. It then ate another. 
Another worker ate the third. The queen was 
engaged elsewhere. 
Aug. 4, evening. The egg-cell was larger and 
sealed, but a worker soon came and made a hole 
in it. I enlarged the hole and found four eggs in 
the bottom of the cell. A worker was on the point 
of lifting out one of these when the queen walked 
up and sealed up the cell. | 
Aug. 5. No trace of yesterday’s egg-cell was 
seen this morning at 7.30. 
