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hesitation, or exhibiting any signs of fear. A half-grown kitten sprang at her many 

 times, and succeeded thrice in knocking her down, and would soon have put an end 

 to her architecture had I not rescued her from her tormentor. When she brought some 

 of the largest lumps of clay, she was almost exhausted by the labour of conveying it 

 home, and while the plate was over the hole (the hole in the metal plate was only about 

 ^ of an inch in diameter) she several times missed laying hold of the edge with the 

 claws of her fore feet ; in those cases she could not recover herself, but was obliged to 

 descend down the door, still striving to lay hold of some unevenness to support her- 

 self, but could not, the paint being thoroughly hard did not afford any. When she 

 came down to the floor she rested herself awhile, her abdomen panting most violently 

 from the exertions she had undergone : once indeed she fell right on her back on the 

 floor, but with all her troubles she never once lost hold of her burden. After she had 

 missed entering several times she would, when she came with a very heavy load, alight 

 on the door-frame and recover her breath and strength, before she tried to enter her 

 habitation. When she entered she laid the clay on the bottom of the hole, and after 

 tempering it to a due consistence, she either applied it to the edge of the cell in the 

 process of enlargement, or spread it on the surface, using her tongue as a plasterer 

 uses his trowel. Several times I observed that she had apparently made no increase 

 in her work, having been employed merely in smoothing it, which she effected by mois- 

 tening the part to be operated on with saliva, and then licking it with her tongue un- 

 til it suited her fancy, as she oftentimes rested for a few seconds, and occupied herself 

 with viewing it over. The space she laboured at with such diligence was generally 

 \ of an inch high, and about half that in width. She sometimes worked at two such 

 places before she left the hole again upon an excursion. She did not attempt to work 

 up the fragments that lay at the bottom of the hole, but very deliberately occupied 

 herself with picking them up, and just putting her head outside, dropped them down 

 on the floor ; in this manner she disposed of as much as would have made two large 

 burdens for her. She formed the cells horizontally in the hole, beginning with one at 

 the bottom ; the second was formed on one side over it, and a little longer at the end; 

 the third was formed on the other side, and a little farther out still ; the three cells 

 occupied the whole space in diameter of the hole, and their ends formed a kind of spi- 

 ral by the overhanging of the two upper cells : the second bottom cell was nearly half 

 formed, and so in succession with the others. We thus find as much ingenuity in 

 placing the cells as in those of the hive bee. When the cells were about half formed 

 the bee filled them with pollen; I did not observe when she deposited her egg in the 

 cell. After she had begun to gather the pollen, she did not immediately finish and 

 close the cell, but commenced another, and pi'oceeded by equal degrees to finish that 

 cell and build the new one : she did not fill the whole cavity of the cells with pollen, 

 hut left nearly one third empty. On the Friday, as I before mentioned, most unluck- 

 ily some fatal accident befel the mother bee. She had then under course of operation 

 one cell nearly closed and the rudiments of two new ones : the hole altogether would 

 have held about four more cells, which showed plainly that it was not because she had 

 finished her work she wilfully absented herself, nor from being harassed by the kitten, 

 as that took place on the Tuesday and Wednesday. I was thus disappointed in my 

 expectation of being able to detain her when she was about finishing her labours, in 

 oi-der to become acquainted with her name as well as her habitation ; but I suppose I 

 shall be able to send you one of her progeny for that purpjse, when they come to ma- 

 turity next spring. The cell left unclosed by the parent (the hole was about 1 line 



