238 NATURE'S TEACHINGS. 



resists the moisture of the food they contain, and in which the 

 larva, being full fed, spins a brown silken cocoon. These bees 

 pass the winter in a larva state, and do not appear until mid- 

 summer. 



" In one respect, the sexes of this genus differ from most 

 other bees, the males being much larger than the females." 



The reader will see from this account how exact is the 

 analogy between the carpenter's plane and the jaws of the bee. 

 In consequence of the simile employed by Mr. White, the 

 insect has been popularly known by the title of the Hoop-shaver 

 Bee. It is a tolerably common insect, and abounds in the 

 South of England. 



