116 HISTORY OF 



wall that is exposed to the sun. The mortar, 

 which at first is soft, soon becomes as hard as 

 stone, and in this their eggs are laid. Each nest 

 contains seven or eight cells, an egg in every cell, 

 placed regularly one over the other. If the nest 

 remains unhurt, or wants but little repairs, they 

 make use of them the year ensuing; and thus 

 they often serve three or four years successively. 

 From the strength of their houses, one would 

 think these bees in perfect security, yet none are 

 more exposed than they. A worm with very 

 strong teeth is often found to bore into their little 

 fortifications, and devour their young. 



The Ground-Bee builds its nest in the earth, 

 wherein they make round holes, five or six inches 

 deep, the mouth being narrow, and only just suf- 

 ficient to admit the little inhabitant. It is amus- 

 ing enough to observe the patience and assiduity 

 with which they labour. They carry out all the 

 earth, grain by grain, to the mouth of the hole, 

 where it forms a little hillock, an Alps compared 

 to the power of the artist by which it is raised. 

 Sometimes the walks of a garden are found un- 

 dermined by their labours ; some of the holes run- 

 ning directly downward, others horizontally be- 

 neath the surface. They lay up in these cavities 

 provisions for their young, which consist of a 

 paste that has the appearance of corn, and is of a 

 sweetish taste. 



The Leaf-cutting Bees make their nest and lay 

 their eggs among bits of leaves, very artificially 

 placed in holes in the earth, of about the length 

 of a tooth-pick case. They make the bits of 



