CH. V.] THE MASON-BEE. 9S 



mies. Notwithstanding- the strength of the habita- 

 tion which had been formed for the young of the 

 mason-bee, some insects pierce, while others steal 

 into these stony towers, and, in the very recesses 

 of this mansion, devour the offspring of the indus- 

 trious mason. But of all the enemies of this insect 

 the most destructive is the ant. When one of these 

 strolling marauders has discovered the hidden trea- 

 sure of the mason-bee, information of the welcome 

 prize is speedily communicated to the whole tribe, 

 who repair in long files towards the spot which con- 

 tains the booty. The poor bee makes every effort 

 to resist its antagonists ; but, fatigued at last with 

 unavailing slaughter, and unable to drive off the ad- 

 vancing host, it gives up the contest in despair, and 

 abandons the produce of its labours to its hungry and 

 unrelenting foes. 



The worms enclosed in their stony prison undergo 

 the usual metamorphosis, and bite their way through 

 the hard substance without the aid of the mother. 



Du Hamel put one of these nests into a glass fun- 

 nel, and covered the orifice of the handle with gauze. 

 He saw three young bees pierce through three inches 

 of the nest, and yet they were unable to cut the gauze 

 which prevented their escape, and so they perished. 

 Such are creatures impelled by instinct, often tran- 

 scending rational beings in some things, as much as 

 they fall below them in others. 



The ancients, not content to admire the actual qua- 

 lities and instincts of the hive bee, imagined others, 

 to which it had no j ust pretension. Seeing bees flying 

 with little gravel-stones, the older naturalists thought 

 that they did so to prevent their being carried away 

 by the wind ; but there can be little doubt that in 

 these instances, the mason-bee was mistaken for the 

 hive bee. There are other kinds of bees which build 

 their nests in the hollow of stones, or in other 

 ready-made cavities. Their manners may be passed 

 over. 



