Upholsterer-Sees. 67 



offends his organ of hearing ? and why, therefore, may not 

 a bee feel gladness in the brilliant hues of her scarlet 

 drapery, because they are grateful to her organs of sight ? 

 All these little creatures work, probably, with more neat- 

 ness and finish than is absolutely essential for comfort ; and 

 this circumstance alone would imply that they have some- 

 thing of taste to exhibit, which produces to them a plea- 

 surable emotion. 



The tapestry-bee is, however, content with ornamenting 

 the interior only of the nest which she forms for her 

 progeny. She does not misplace her embellishments with 

 the error of some human artists. She desires security as 

 well as elegance ; and, therefore, she leaves no external 

 traces of her operations. Hers is not a mansion rich with 

 columns and friezes without, but cold and unfurnished 

 within, like the desolate palaces of Venice. She covers 

 her tapestry quite round with the common earth ; and 

 leaves her eggs enclosed in their poppy-case with a cer- 

 tainty that the outward show of her labours will attract 

 no plunderer. 



The poppy-bee may be known by its being rather 

 more than a third of an inch long, of a black colour, 

 studded on the head and back with reddish-grey hairs ; 

 the belly being grey and silky, and the rings margined 

 with grey above, the second and third having an impressed 

 transversal line. 



A species of solitary bee (Anthidium manicatum, FABBJCIUS), 

 by no means uncommon with us, forms a nest of a peculiarly 

 interesting structure. Kirby and Spence say, that it does 

 not excavate holes, but makes choice of the cavities of old 

 trees, key-holes, and similar localities ; yet it is highly 

 probable, we think, that it may sometimes scoop out a 

 suitable cavity when it cannot find one ; for its mandibles 

 seem equally capable of this, with those of any of the car- 

 penter or mason-bees. 



Be this as it may, the bee in question having selected 

 a place suitably sheltered from the weather, and from 



