SOLITARY BEES THEIR HABITS AND WORK. 191 



deposited her eggs in as much of it as was completed, 

 and gone off to make another. 



Another species, Osmia parietana, which is seldom seen 

 except in the northern parts of England, makes its 

 dwellings under flat stones. There is a wonderful ex- 

 ample of these habitations in the British Museum. The 

 stone is only ten inches in length by six in width, and in 

 it are fixed two hundred and thirty-six cells. 



They will build in almost any crevice, even choosing 

 such singular spots as a keyhole, an empty bottle, the 

 barrel of a revolver pistol, &c. Some years ago I was 

 at a sale, and the auctioneer offered, among other lots, a 

 large handbox filled with odds and ends. I bought the 

 box, and found among its contents a piccolo flute. In 

 trying its tone it refused to utter a sound, and on look- 

 ing into it the interior was seen to be stuffed with some 

 soft substance, apparently paper. A closer examination, 

 however, showed that it was completely filled with the 

 cells of an Osmia. The flute can be seen in the nest- 

 room at the British Museum. 



Another of these ubiquitous bees, Osmia Ucolor 

 generally selects the empty shells of the common banded 

 snail, filling them with eggs, honey, and pollen, placing 

 a wall of some vegetable substance between each egg and 

 its neighbour. 



Another wall-frequenting bee is called Megachile 

 muraria. It makes cells very like those of the Osm ia 

 as may be seen by the illustration. These cells were 

 found in the fluting of a pillar. 



