I 



The Cotton-bees 



state the nature of the workmanship. The 

 colouring and the elegant regularity of the 

 outer wrapper of the cocoon suggest some 

 kind of basket-work made with tiny bits of 

 bamboo, or a marquetry of exotic granules. 

 I too let myself be caught by it in my early 

 days and wondered in vain what the hermit 

 of the cotton wallet had used to inlay her 

 nymphal dwelling so prettily withal. To-day, 

 when the secret is known to me, I admire the 

 ingenuity of the insect capable of obtaining 

 the useful and the beautiful out of the basest 

 materials. 



The cocoon has another surprise in store 

 for us. The end containing the head finishes 

 with a short conical nipple, an apex, pierced 

 by a narrow shaft that establishes a commu- 

 nication between the inside and the out. This 

 architectural feature is common to all the An- 

 thidia, to the resin-workers who will occupy 

 our attention presently as well as to the 

 cotton-workers. It is found nowhere outside 

 the Anthidium group. 



What is the use of this point which the 

 larva leaves bare instead of inlaying it like 

 the rest of the shell? What is the use of that 

 hole, left quite open or at most closed at the 



S9Z 



