A NEST IN MY STUDY 251 



better how to protect the eggs, or the workers have 

 become less aggressive. 



At 5.10 p.m. The queen laid another batch of 

 eggs and it survived. 



On Aug. 11, at 6.30 p.m., she laid another; this 

 also survived. 



On the afternoon of Aug. 12 another. On the 

 13th, the usual daily batch was laid at 5.10 p.m.; on 

 the 14th, about 5.0. p.m. Eggs were also laid by her 

 on the afternoons of the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 

 20th, and 22nd. Each of these batches was care- 

 fully defended by the queen for several hours after 

 it was laid, but on many occasions the workers must 

 have succeeded in destroying some of the eggs ; for 

 instance, I saw them at 8.30 p.m. on August 16, 

 busily devouring those laid that afternoon. After 

 the 22nd the queen's prolificness fell off rapidly, and 

 on several days she laid no eggs at all. On the 

 26th workers were seen butting one another for the 

 second time. This was a sure sign of the failing 

 powers of the queen, but on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. I 

 found her defending a cell of recently-laid eggs. 

 On Sept. 3 she was found in a drowsy state on 

 the floor of my study, and the next day she died. 



OBSERVATIONS ON PSITHYRUS. 



On July 19, 191 1, I dug up a nest of B. lapi- 

 darius victimised by Psithyrus rupestris, and trans- 

 ferred it to my humble-bee house for observation. 

 The nest contained 71 workers and a large amount 

 of brood. Workers were still emerging. 



