244 THE HUMBLE-BEE 



silent and motionless in the places to which their 

 excitement had led them, waiting patiently for any 

 further signs of attack. A similarly-caused com- 

 motion in a nest of B. helferamis, which appears 

 to be a less excitable species than lapidarius, sub- 

 sided much more quickly. 



August 6. The workers boldly investigate any- 

 thing strange, and if I hold a stick to the comb will 

 crawl up it and on to my fingers and hand. They 

 much prefer my hand to the stick or to any articles 

 I may present to them, and it is hard to coax them 

 to leave it. So far I have not been stung, but they 

 behave as if aware they are crawling upon a living 

 being, fearing to venture far, and keeping on the 

 look-out for a sudden attack. I offered pollen to a 

 worker standing on my finger this evening, and she 

 ate it greedily. 



Aug. 3. In the evening I saw a worker attack 

 a large open egg -cell containing three eggs. I 

 watched it seize an egg in its mouth and eat it 

 quickly, evidently enjoying it. It then ate another. 

 Another worker ate the third. The queen was 

 engaged elsewhere. 



Aug. 4, evening. The egg-cell was larger and 

 sealed, but a worker soon came and made a hole 

 in it. I enlarged the hole and found four eggs in 

 the bottom of the cell. A worker was on the point 

 of lifting out one of these when the queen walked 

 up and sealed up the cell. 



Aug. 5. No trace of yesterday's egg-cell was 

 seen this morning at 7.30. 



