Bramble-bees and Others 



of turning over uncommonly jagged stones, 

 our finger-tips get hurt, lose their skin and 

 become as smooth as though we had held 

 them on a grindstone. After a whole after- 

 noon of this work, our back will be aching, 

 our fingers will be itching and smarting and 

 we shall possess a dozen Osmia-nests and per- 

 haps two or three Resin-bees' nests. Let us 

 be content with that. 



The Osmia's shells can be recognized at 

 once, as being closed at the orifice with a clay 

 stopper. The Anthidium's call for a special 

 examination, without which we should run a 

 great risk of filling our pockets with cumber- 

 some rubbish. We find a dead Snail-shell 

 among the stones. Is it inhabited by the 

 Resin-bee or is it not? The outside tells us 

 nothing. The Anthidium's work comes at 

 the bottom of the spiral, a long way from the 

 mouth; and, though this is wide open, the 

 eye cannot travel far enough along the wind- 

 ing stair. I hold up the doubtful shell to the 

 light. If it is completely transparent, I know 

 that it is empty and I put it back to serve for 

 future nests. If the second whorl is opaque, 

 the spiral contains something. What does it 

 contain? Earth washed in by the rain? Rem- 



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