The Sitares 



egg and that of the next; and the number of 

 these eggs cannot therefore be lower than 

 the number of minutes contained in thirty- 

 six hours, or 2160. But the exact number 

 is of no importance : we need only note that 

 it is very large, which implies, for the young 

 larvae issuing from the eggs, very numerous 

 chances of destruction, since so lavish a sup- 

 ply of germs is necessary to maintain the 

 species in the requisite proportions. 



Enlightened by these observations and in- 

 formed of the shape, the number and the 

 arrangement of the eggs, I searched the gal- 

 leries of the Anthophorae for those which 

 the Sitares had laid there and invariably 

 found them gathered in a heap inside the 

 galleries, at a distance of an inch or two from 

 the orifice, which is always open to the outer 

 world. Thus, contrary to what one was to 

 some extent entitled to suppose, the eggs are 

 not laid in the cells of the pioneer Bee ; they 

 are simply dumped in a heap inside the en- 

 trance to her dwelling. Nay more, the 

 mother does not make any protective struc- 

 ture for them; she takes no pains to shield 

 them from the rigours of winter; she does not 

 even attempt, by stopping for a short dis- 

 tance, as best she can, the entrance-lobby in 

 which she has laid them, to protect them 

 43 



