The Halicti : the Portress 



ever. The final preparations for the brood 

 are made below; the cells are closed. The 

 door will be kept until everything is finished. 

 Then grandmother and mothers leave the 

 house. Exhausted by the performance of 

 their duty, they go, somewhere or other, to 

 die. 



In September appears the second genera- 

 tion, comprising both males and females. I 

 find both sexes wassailing on the flowers, espe- 

 cially the Composita?, the centauries and this- 

 tles. They are not harvesting now: they are 

 refreshing themselves, holding high holiday, 

 teasing one another. It is the wedding-time. 

 Yet another fortnight and the males will dis- 

 appear, henceforth useless. The part of the 

 idlers is played. Only the industrious ones re- 

 main, the impregnated females, who go 

 through the winter and set to work in April. 



I do not know their exact haunt during the 

 inclement season. I expected them to return 

 to their native burrow, an excellent dwelling 

 for the winter, one would think. Excavations 

 made in January showed me my mistake. The 

 old homes are empty; they are falling to 

 pieces owing to the prolonged effect of the 

 rains. The Zebra Ilalictus has something 



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