126 HEDGE WOUNDWORT. 



down serves to protect plants from lieat and 

 cold, but is of use too to some of the insect 

 tribe. One species of wild bee, which dwells 

 in the cavities of trees, is skilled in using it. 

 Kirby and Spence remark of this little crea- 

 ture, that it knew what materials would slowly 

 conduct heat, long before Count Rumford's 

 experiments had been made ; and it attacks 

 the leaves of the Woolly Woundwort {Stach^s 

 lanata), the Rose Campion, and similar plants, 

 and scraping hence the down with its fore- 

 legs, rolls it into a little ball, and sticking it 

 on the plaister Avhich covers the cells, renders 

 them impervious to every change of tempe- 

 rature ; so that, say these writers, " this bee 

 may be said to exercise the trade of a 

 clothier.'' 



We have six native species of Woundwort, 

 all very similar to that represented in the 

 engraving. They are all in blossom during 

 July and August. The Downy Woundwort 

 [Stacltys (/ermanicci), a plant of our limestone 

 soils, is often cultivated in gardens on account 

 of the silky foliage. 



