42 THE HUMBLE BEES 



have been caught after they have filled them- 

 selves with honey, and become torpid in conse- 

 quence, by the great tomtit and possibly other 

 birds. The bird pecks a hole in the insect's 

 thorax, enjoys the honey it has eaten and then 

 drops the quivering body which falls to the 

 ground. I once had the opportunity of seeing 

 this slaughter going on, and was able to detect 

 the great tomtit as the murderer. 



In colour the humble bees vary remarkably, 

 the variation occurring chiefly in the females. 

 This variation is not so noticeable in this country, 

 although in many species even here the variability 

 is very great, but when we trace a common 

 species such as terrestris, which varies very 

 little here, over a large area such as the 

 Palsearctic region its liveries are so diverse 

 that its females have been treated as belonging 

 to many different species. In the Siberian 

 district its yellow bands become of a pale, almost 

 whitish or straw colour, and the whole appear- 

 ance of the insect is altered. If, instead of going 

 north, we go to the Mediterranean region we 

 find a large, fine form tolerably common, with 

 bright yellow hairs on the legs. In Corsica 



