THE HALICTI 207 



of the pits and cells constructed in the spring, saving no 

 little time thereby. The whole elaborate structure has 

 remained in good condition. It needs but a few repairs 

 to make the old house habitable. 



Now what would happen if the Bee, so intent upon 

 cleanliness, were to find a pupa hi the cell which she is 

 sweeping ? She would treat the cumbersome object as 

 she would a piece of old plaster. It would be no more 

 to her than any other refuse, a bit of gravel, which, seized 

 with the mandibles, crushed perhaps, would be sent to 

 join the rubbish-heap outside. Once removed from the 

 soil and exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, the 

 pupa would inevitably perish. 



I admire this lucid foresight of the maggot, which 

 foregoes the comfort of the moment for the security of the 

 future. Two dangers threaten it : to be immured in a 

 casket whence the Fly can never issue ; or else to die out 

 of doors, from the harsh effects of the air, when the Bee 

 sweeps out the restored cells. To avoid this two-fold 

 peril, it absconds before the door is closed, before the 

 Halictus sets her house in order in July. 



Let us now see what comes of the parasite's intrusion. 

 In the course of June, when peace is established in the 

 Halictus' home, I dig up my largest colony, comprising 

 some fifty burrows, thoroughly. Not an atom of the 

 underground distress shall escape my eye. There are 

 four of us engaged in sifting the excavated earth through 

 our fingers. What one has examined another takes up 

 and examines in his turn ; and then another and another 

 yet. The returns are heart-rending. We do not succeed 

 in finding one single nymph of the Halictus. The popu- 

 lous city has perished in its entirety ; and its place has 

 been taken by the Dipteron. The latter superabounds 



