THE HUMBLE-BEE. 155 



could be reached. In all probability the bee has been aided by 

 the burrow of a field-mouse, when the gallery has been of such a 

 length. 



The history of the nest is really a curious one. 



At the end of autumn nearly all the Humble-bees die. The 

 males invariably perish, but one or two of the females survive, 

 and pass the winter in a state of hibernation. They do not se- 

 lect the nest for this purpose, convenient though the locality may 

 seem, but hide themselves away singly in sheltered spots, such as 

 the eaves of thatched barns, hollow trees, haystacks, or old ruins. 

 When the sunbeams of spring gain warmth and strength, the 

 sleepers awaken from their torpor, and immediately search for a 

 spot wherein the new home may be excavated. 



These bees, which are the Methuselahs of their short-lived race, 

 may be seen in any warm spring day, flying about in all direc- 

 tions, prowling over every spare yard of ground, and settling here 

 and there, as if to test the quality of the soil. They are very 

 jealous of observation at this time, and if they think that they 

 are being watched, will take instant offense and fly off with a 

 quick, eager sound, very different from the steady, monotonous 

 hum with which they accompany their researches. To watch 

 one of these insects in hopes of seeing her begin her labors, is an 

 endless task, for she will never dig an inch of soil as long as she 

 sees any suspicious object, and will often make her way under a 

 thick tuft of herbage, and remain quietly in the retired nook until 

 she fancies that the danger has passed away. 



When, however, she has suited herself with a locality, she 

 scrapes away the ground quickly, and when she has dug to a suf- 

 ficient depth, she scoops out a small cavity or chamber, and there- 

 in constructs her first nest. There are but few cells at the bes-in- 

 ning of the year, and these contain the first workers, who are in - 

 tended to assist in constructing the enlarged nest. The larvas 

 are large, fat, white, round-bodied creatures, with little horny 

 heads, and their bodies always slightly curved. When they 

 have completed their feeding, each spins for itself an oval cocoon 

 of coarse silk, rather irregular in shape, very soft, tough, and 

 thick in consistency. 



Herein they remain until they have attained their perfect state, 

 when they gnaw a round piece from one end of the cocoon, just 

 as a chicken chips off the top of the egg, and emerge into the 

 nest. They do not venture out into the air for several days, the 



