Bramble-bees and Others 



light and follow, if need be with the aid 

 of the lens, the operations of the busy worker. 

 My observation, however frequent and mi- 

 nute, in no way hinders the peaceable Bee, 

 who remains absorbed in her maternal duties. 

 I mark a plentiful number of my guests 

 with a variety of dots on the thorax, which 

 enables me to follow any one Osmia from 

 the beginning to the end of her laying. The 

 tubes and their respective holes are numbered; 

 a list, always lying open on my desk, enables 

 me to note from day to day, sometimes from 

 hour to hour, what happens in each tube and 

 particularly the actions of the Osmiae whose 

 backs bear distinguishing marks. As soon as 

 one tube is filled, I replace it by another. 

 Moreover, I have scattered in front of 

 either hive a few handfuls of empty Snail- 

 shells, specially chosen for the object which 

 I have in view. Reasons which I will 

 explain later led me to prefer the shells of 

 Helix caspittim. Each of the shells, as and 

 when stocked, received the date of the laying 

 and the alphabetical sign corresponding with 

 the Osmia to whom it belonged. In this way, 

 I spent five or six weeks in continual observa- 

 tion. To succeed in an enquiry, the first and 



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