REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 41 



into the unknown, to explore the horizon spread out before her, and take her 

 place at the banquet of Hfe. 



Little time is lost, however, in frolicking in the spring air. Important duties 

 call her. For the role of the bee is essentially that of a mother, and from her 

 earliest days, her duty is rudely thrust before her. 



With the Colletes, as with many other Hymenoptera, the phenomenon of 

 protandry is present in. which the emergence of the males precedes that of the 

 females. The first comers, knowing the contested ground, remain near at hand. 

 With rapid flight they scour the ground, searching those spots thoroughly, where 

 it appears likely that a female may appear, an easy task indeed, seeing that 

 the Colletes nest in numerous colonies. 



As soon as a female shows herself she is assailed by two, three and sometimes 

 four cavaliers at once, who quarrel over her among themselves, scramble over 

 one another, knock each other over, unseat each other, and push and justle one 

 another until finally they all end up in a heap upon the sand. The object of their 

 desires takes these insistent demonstrations with a very bad grace, and often, 

 whilst the suitors finish their quarrel among themselves, the poor victim takes the 

 opportunity to decamp as quickly as possible. A few suitors now arrive to present 

 their addresses. Here is one who has succeeded in ousting his rivals. His great 

 tarsi grip the edge of the wings, the others the abdominal segments. When the 

 chosen one protests, the mandibles seize hold of the down on the thorax to preserve 

 equilibrium as a horseman holds on to the mane when his mount takes fright. 

 The duration of their union varies, sometimes it is prolonged for a quarter of an 

 hour or more when nothing happens to disturb it. The male is entirely engrossed 

 in his business; taking a respite, he lashes in a frenzy the back of the patient one. 

 The blows patter like hail, and then the crisis over, everything calms down, to 

 recommence very soon again with renewed vigour. 



Whilst this scene is being enacted, the female utters a small strident chirping 

 note, the motive of which is not clear. It may be stated in passing that when 

 mating does not take place on the site of the colony, it occurs at a definite spot, 

 towards which the sexes flow in great numbers. I hope that the mention of such 

 detail may be excused, but I have found out that these bees are attracted to places 

 impregnated with the odour of uric acid. This odour may play a considerable 

 part in those meetings of the sexes. In fact as in the case of the humble bees, 

 the males of Colletes emit a particular odour, which is very agreable but difficult 

 to define. One of my friends has compared it to that of Florida Water. Once 

 on one of my excursions through the woods, I found the partially decomposed 

 remains of a skunk, one may imagine the odour which would proceed from it. 

 Nevertheless it seemed to attract the bees, numbers of whom were flyingall around. 



