Lapidary-Bees. Rumble Bees. 79 



nests, having the fore part of their back a dull orange, and 

 hinder part ringed with different shades of greyish yellow. 

 They are not so large as the common humble-bee (Bombus 

 terrestris, LATE.), but rather shorter and thicker in the body 

 than the common hive-bee (Apia mellifico). 



LAPIDARY-BEES. 



A bee still more common, perhaps, than the carder is the 

 orange-tailed bee, or lapidary (Bombus lapidario), readily 

 known by its general black colour and reddish orange tail. 

 It builds its nest sometimes in stony ground, but prefers a 

 heap of stones such as are gathered off grass fields or are 

 piled up near quarries. Unlike the carder, the lapidary 

 carries to its nest bits of moss, which are very neatly 

 arranged into a regular oval. These insects associate in 

 their labours; and they make honey with great industry. 

 The individuals of a nest are more numerous than the 

 carders, and likewise more pertinaciously vindictive. About 

 two years ago we discovered a nest of these bees at Compton- 

 Bassett, in Wiltshire, in the centre of a heap of limestone 

 rubbish ; but owing to the brisk defensive warfare of their 

 legionaries, we could not obtain a view of the interior. It 

 was not even safe to approach within many yards of the 

 place ; and we do not exaggerate when we say that several of 

 them pursued us most pertinaciously about a quarter of a 

 mile. (J. R.) 



HUMBLE-BEES. 



The common humble-bee (Bombus terrestris) is precisely 

 similar in its economy to the two preceding species, with this 

 difference, that it forms its nest underground like the common 

 wasp, in an excavated chamber, to which a winding passage 

 leads, of from one to two feet, and of a diameter sufficient to 

 allow of two bees passing. The cells have no covering beside 

 the vault of the excavation and patches of coarse wax similar 

 to that of the carder-bee. 



[The accompanying illustration represents a group of cells 

 made by this species. As may be seen by reference to the 



