: A NEST IN MY STUDY 251 
better how to protect the eggs, or the workers have 
become less aggressive. 
At 5.10 P.M. The queen laid another batch of 
eggs and it survived. 
On Aug. 11, at 6.30 p.M., she laid another ; this 
also survived. 
On the afternoon of Aug. 12 another. On the 
13th, the usual daily batch was laid at 5.10 P.M.; on 
the 14th, about 5.0. p.m. Eggs were also laid by her 
on the afternoons of the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 
2oth, and 22nd. -Each of these batches was care- 
fully defended by the queen for several hours after 
it was laid, but on many occasions the workers must 
have succeeded in destroying some of the eggs; for 
instance, I saw them at 8.30 p.m. on August 16, 
busily devouring those laid that afternoon. After 
the 22nd the queen’s prolificness fell off rapidly, and 
on several days she laid no eggs at all. On the 
26th workers were seen butting one another for the 
second time. This was a sure sign of the failing 
powers of the queen, but on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. I 
found her defending a cell of recently-laid eggs. 
On Sept. 3 she was found in a drowsy state on 
the floor of my study, and the next day she died. 
OBSERVATIONS ON PSITHYRUS. 
On July 19, 1911, I dug up a nest of B. /apr- 
darius victimised by Pszthyrus rupestrts, and trans- 
ferred it to my humble-bee house for observation. 
The nest contained 71 workers and a large amount 
of brood. Workers were still emerging. 
