Bramble-bees and Others 



operation within the reach of all; to watch 

 those same insects in their mode of life, their 

 work, their habits and customs is quite a dif- 

 ferent thing. The nomenclator who lacks the 

 time — and sometimes also the inclination — 

 takes his magnifying-glass, analyses the dead 

 body and names the worker without knowing 

 its work. Hence the number of appellations 

 the least of whose faults is that they are un- 

 pleasant to the ear, certain of them, indeed, 

 being gross misnomers. Have we not, for 

 instance, seen the name of Lithurgus, or 

 stone-worker, given to a Bee who works in 

 wood and naught but wood? Such absurd- 

 ities will be inevitable until the animal's pro- 

 fession is sufficiently familiar to lend its aid 

 in the compiling of diagnoses. I trust that the 

 future will see this magnificent advance in 

 entomological science : men will reflect that 

 the im.paled specimens in our collections once 

 lived and followed a trade; and anatomy will 

 keep its proper place and leave due room for 

 biology. 



Fabriciu? did not commit himself with his 

 expression Anthidium, which alludes to the 

 love of flowers, but neither did he mention 

 anything characteristic: as all Bees have the 



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