The Life of Jean Henri Fabre 



contains nothing but Osmia-cells, which do not 

 interest me for the moment. A second expedition 

 is made, lasting longer than the first; and, though 

 my retreat is effected without great precipitation, 

 not an Anthophora has touched me with her sting, 

 nor even shown herself disposed to fall upon the 

 aggressor. 



This success emboldens me. I remain perma- 

 nently in front of the work in progress, continu- 

 ally removing lumps of earth filled with cells, 

 spilling the liquid honey on the ground, eviscerat- 

 ing larvae and crushing the Bees busily occupied 

 in their nests. All this devastation results merely 

 in arousing a louder hum in the swarm and is not 

 followed by any hostile demonstration. 



Thanks to this unexpected lack of spirit in the 

 Mason-bee, I was able for hours to pursue my in- 

 vestigations at my leisure, seated on a stone in the 

 midst of the murmuring and distracted swarm, 

 without receiving a single sting, although I took 

 no precautions whatever. Country-folk, happen- 

 ing to pass and beholding me seated, unperturbed 

 in the midst of the whirl of Bees, stopped aghast 

 to ask me whether I had bewitched them, whether I 

 charmed them, since I appeared to have nothing 

 to fear from them: 



"Me, moun bel ami, li-z-ave doun escounjurado 

 que vous pougnioun pas, caneu de sort!" 



My miscellaneous impediments spread over the 

 ground, boxes, glass jars and tubes, tweezers and 

 magnifying-glasses, were certainly regarded by these 

 good people as the implements of my wizardry. 

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