360 THE INSECT WOELD. 



great harmony, and even that there is in each nest more than 

 one female, for the absence of the sting must prevent any combats. 

 If a few cakes of the Melipona's honeycomb are moved into 

 the hollow of a tree, they always found there a new 'colony. We 

 may conclude from this that the workers procure for themselves 

 females whenever they want them by means of a special sort 

 of food. The savage inhabitants of the American forests collect 

 this honey ; but with the carelessness of uncivilised man, they at 

 the same time destroy the nests of these precious insects. They 

 have now begun to domesticate certain species of Meliponas by 

 introducing them into earthen pots or wooden cases. These 

 insects have been brought to Europe, but they have always 

 perished in the first cold weather. During the summer of 1863, 

 there was, in the Museum of Natural History of Paris, a nest of 

 Melipona scutellaris from Brazil ; but it did not prosper. 



* 



THE HUMBLE OR BUMBLE BEES. 



If in the month of March one passes through the fields, which 

 are beginning to get green, or through the woods, still deprived 

 of their leaves, there may be seen hovering hither and thither great 

 hairy insects, resembling gigantic bees. These are the females 

 of the humble bee, called by the French " bourdons," from the 

 buzzing noise they produce. These females have been awakened 

 by the spring sun. They examine the cavities of stones, the 

 heaps of moss, and the holes hollowed out by the rabbits and 

 squirrels, seeking for a suitable spot to construct a nest for their 

 progeny. 



The humble bees are of the same family as the bees, whom they 

 resemble in their organization. Like them, they are divided into 

 males, females, and neuters, or workers. But their companies only 

 last a year. At the end of autumn, the whole population has 

 become extinct, with the exception of the pregnant females, which 

 pass the winter in a state of torpor, at the bottom of some hole, 

 where they wait till the spring to perpetuate their race. Their 

 societies comprise generally only a small number of individuals, 

 from fifty to three hundred. They are of peaceful habits, their 

 ephemeral existence beginning and ending with the flower season. 



