BEES, WASPS, ETC. 81 



into it with a hammer proves to be partitioned into many 

 compartments. One species has a highly cultivated taste, 

 and spends much time in giving a finish to its work. It lays 

 on many coats of paint, ending with a beautiful glossy red 

 varnish. Then, of those that occupy holes, each has its own 

 idea. The kinds which use keyholes arrange for one child 

 in each, but those which patronize reels, quills, and rolled 

 maps, often have the whole family together one upon the 

 top of the other, with partitions between to prevent them 

 eating each other. In this case, of course, the cell first 

 made is at the bottom and the last at the mouth of the 

 hole, so that the first-born has all its younger brothers 

 between itself and liberty. To meet this difficulty, the 

 bee seems to arrange that the eggs shall hatch in the 

 opposite order to that in which they were laid, but I am 

 not quite clear on this point. All these creatures affect 

 such prodigious secrecy in their proceedings that it is 

 difficult to get at the truth. 



There is one considerable class of bees which, not liking 

 the bare walls of the hole, line it with rolled leaves. To 

 make these cigarettes they require little circular pieces of 

 leaf, like gun-wads, and where those of this fancy are 

 common the foliage of your garden is apt to be punched 



