48 Insect Architecture. 



honey. Another cell is then made, and yet another, until the 

 shell is nearly filled. As the shell widens, the Osmia places 

 two cells side by side, and when the insect has worked 

 within a short distance of the mouth, she places the cells 

 horizontally, so as to fill up the space. There are several 

 specimens of these curious habitations in the British 

 IMuseum. 



When the whole series of cells is completed, the bee closes 

 up the entrance with little morsels of earth, bits of stick and 

 little stones, all strongly glued together with some very 

 adhesive substance. 



Another species (Osmia parietina) has much simpler 

 habits, and is much easier satisfied with a dwelling. This, 

 insect merely looks out for a flattish stone lying on the 

 ground, and crawls under it to see if there is any hollow. If 

 so, it attaches the cocoons to the stone and leaves them. On 

 one stone, seen in the British Museum, no less than two 

 hundred and thirty cocoons were placed, although the stone 

 is only ten inches in length by six in width. 



This insect is almost wholly confined to the north of 

 England.] 



There was one circumstance attending the proceedings of 

 this mason-bee which struck us not a little, though we could 

 not explain it to our own satisfaction. Every time she left 

 her nest for the purpose of procuring a fresh supply of 

 materials, she paid a regular visit to the blossoms of a lilac- 

 tree which grew near. Had these blossoms afforded a supply 

 of pollen, with which she could have replenished her cells, 

 we could have easily understood her design ; but the pollen 

 of the lilac is not suitable for this purpose, and that she had 

 never used it was proved by all the pollen in the cells being 

 yellow, whereas that of the lilac is of the same pale purple 

 colour as the flowers. Besides, she did not return imme- 

 diately from the lilac-tree to the building, but always went 

 for a load of clay. There seemed to us, therefore, to be only 

 two ways to explain the circumstance : she must either have 

 applied to the lilac-blossoms to obtain a refreshment of 

 houey, or to procure glutinous materials to mix with the clay. 



