﻿116 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  Varney 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  The 
  scent 
  of 
  the 
  blossoms 
  of 
  tlie 
  Scabious 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  like 
  

   honey 
  ; 
  and 
  upon 
  this 
  flower 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  

   insects. 
  At 
  one 
  time 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  mason 
  bee, 
  several 
  humble 
  bees, 
  

   various 
  kinds 
  of 
  butterflies, 
  some 
  other 
  flies, 
  and 
  several 
  hive 
  

   bees, 
  upon 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  tliis 
  plant. 
  

  

  Bees 
  fond 
  of 
  Water. 
  — 
  Reaumur, 
  Hiiber, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  natu- 
  

   ralists, 
  have 
  paid 
  great 
  attention 
  to, 
  and 
  tried 
  many 
  experiments 
  

   with 
  the 
  hive 
  bees, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  find 
  them 
  to 
  say 
  any 
  thing 
  about 
  

   water. 
  I 
  find 
  these 
  little 
  creatures 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  

   of 
  this 
  fluid. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  time, 
  in 
  very 
  dry 
  weather, 
  they 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  drinking 
  water 
  between 
  stones, 
  and 
  round 
  about 
  

   water-taps, 
  and 
  such 
  like 
  shallow 
  places, 
  immediately 
  returning 
  to 
  

   the 
  hive. 
  They 
  tlius 
  continued 
  to 
  get 
  water 
  every 
  day 
  in 
  dry 
  

   weather. 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  use 
  it 
  to 
  moisten 
  and 
  prepare 
  the 
  wax 
  : 
  or 
  

   perhaps 
  they 
  drink 
  some 
  of 
  it, 
  which 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  ascertained. 
  

  

  Leaf-cutter 
  Bees. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  fine 
  warm 
  weather, 
  having 
  observed 
  

   a 
  rose-leaf-cutting 
  bee 
  cut 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  leaf 
  from 
  the 
  rose-tree, 
  and 
  

   carry 
  it 
  away 
  and 
  settle 
  upon 
  a 
  wall, 
  and 
  go 
  into 
  a 
  cavity 
  where 
  

   it 
  was 
  building 
  its 
  nest, 
  repeatedly 
  performing 
  the 
  same 
  operation, 
  

   I 
  watched 
  it 
  more 
  carefully, 
  and 
  observed 
  that 
  when 
  it 
  settled, 
  it 
  

   would 
  examine 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  leaves 
  before 
  it 
  found 
  one 
  to 
  suit 
  its 
  

   purpose 
  ; 
  it 
  then 
  settled 
  upon 
  a 
  leaf, 
  with 
  its 
  head 
  towards 
  the 
  

   leafstalk, 
  and 
  cut 
  a 
  piece 
  out, 
  which 
  it 
  did 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time. 
  

   It 
  held 
  on 
  to 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  cutting 
  out, 
  and 
  

   when 
  it 
  had 
  cut 
  it 
  out 
  it 
  fell 
  down, 
  like 
  a 
  stone, 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance, 
  before 
  it 
  took 
  wing. 
  When 
  it 
  had 
  cut 
  out 
  the 
  leaf 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  prepared 
  for 
  flight, 
  and 
  it 
  always 
  fell 
  down 
  like 
  a 
  stone 
  

   before 
  it 
  took 
  wing. 
  One 
  time, 
  it 
  fell 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  its 
  

   load. 
  It 
  fell 
  down 
  several 
  times 
  among 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  

   and 
  it 
  found 
  some 
  difficulty 
  in 
  getting 
  out 
  with 
  its 
  load, 
  which 
  

   it 
  held 
  in 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  half 
  circle 
  under 
  its 
  belly. 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  

   tube 
  of 
  bark, 
  and 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  wall 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  about 
  six 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   and 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  This 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  days 
  by 
  a 
  rose-leaf 
  cutting 
  bee, 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  constructed 
  a 
  nest 
  

   of 
  rose-leaves. 
  I 
  split 
  the 
  tube 
  before 
  I 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  wall, 
  so 
  

   that 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  opened 
  without 
  damaging 
  the 
  cells. 
  V/hen 
  it 
  was 
  

   finished, 
  I 
  took 
  it 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  wall, 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  contained 
  eight 
  

   cells, 
  which 
  were 
  fitted 
  together 
  like 
  thimbles. 
  The 
  tube 
  was 
  not 
  

   full, 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  held 
  several 
  more 
  cells 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  entrance 
  was 
  

   blocked 
  up 
  with 
  several 
  pieces 
  of 
  leaf, 
  which 
  prevented 
  any 
  other 
  

   insect 
  from 
  entering 
  the 
  nest. 
  In 
  cutting 
  a 
  leaf, 
  it 
  sometimes 
  

   makes 
  a 
  mistake, 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  has 
  cut 
  it 
  about 
  half 
  through, 
  it 
  will 
  

   suddenly 
  leave 
  it 
  and 
  go 
  to 
  another, 
  but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  often 
  occur. 
  

  

  