TRAILING A BEE TO ITS LAIR 163 



with boyish enthusiasm and excitement, sat down upon the ground 

 and very carefully chiseled the earth away. Every minute revealed 

 a new twist or turn and every minute the excitement grew, as with 

 an excavator of Pompeii, until the end was reached and the pollen 

 found. 



Then the perfect cast was laid upon a smooth pine board and its 

 course traced upon the wood in pencil. With the aid of a gouge and 

 a sharp knife, a duplicate of the original nest was modeled in the 

 wood, showing every turn and every indentation just as the insect 

 had made them. Then the board was brushed with glue and 

 sprinkled with fine sifted sand, taken from the spot where the nest 

 actually existed. To represent the pollen, a touch of powdered yel- 

 low felt was glued within the artificial cell, and it was finished a 

 perfect model of the little creature's home. 



Then it was photographed as an everlasting monument to the skill 

 and energy of the tiny insect who designed it. 



