ii2 THE HUMBLE-BEE 



VII 



It seemed that the only way to further escape 

 from moisture and vermin was to go back to the 

 plan of placing the nests deep in the ground and 

 providing them with a long tunnel, as in the 1906 

 experiments, but to line the sides and top of the 

 nest-cavity with some kind of material impervious 

 to moisture. 



This end I endeavoured to accomplish with a 

 device that I shall call a "tin domicile," because its 

 essential part was a cylinder of tin-plate, open at 

 both ends, about 5 in. in diameter, and 5 in. or 6 

 in. high. My first experiments were made with 

 ordinary tins, which, though not very suitable, were 

 good enough to test the principle. I first removed 

 the bottoms of the tins with a pair of strong scissors. 

 To make the domicile, a cavity about 15 in. deep 

 and a little wider than the size of the tin was dug 

 in the selected spot. While I was digging this 

 cavity with a trowel, my assistant made the tunnel 

 or passage for the bees, which was about 2 ft. 6 in. 

 long and 1^ in. wide, by driving a long steel imple- 

 ment through the ground with a mason's hammer, 

 directing it so as to emerge at the bottom of the 

 cavity. If the head passed below the cavity the 

 cavity was deepened to reach it. While the head 

 of the implement was still in the cavity the tin, 

 having its lid on, was placed in the cavity over it. 

 The space outside the tin was then filled up with 

 earth to a height of about 2 in. below the top of the 

 tin, the earth being- rammed clown tight. After this 

 the implement was withdrawn, the lid of the tin 



