HONEYBEES — THE BURNET ICHNEUMON. 289 



Still, among honey-bees, of which there are several species, 

 the custom of nesting in hollow trees is almost universal. Bee- 

 hunters, whether biped or quadruped, whether man, bird, ratel, 

 or bear, search for their sweet spoil in the trees, and know by ex- 

 perience when a tree is likely to contain honey-combs. But in 

 certain parts of tropical America the bees change their habits. 



There is a genus of wild honey-bees, named Trigona, the mem- 

 bers of which are notable for their bold departure from ordinary 

 bee customs. They make their nests at the tops of the branches, 

 it is true, but they do not place their combs inside the hollow 

 trees, of which there is great store in the woods. The Trigonas 

 make nests of a pear shape, and of tolerable size, and hang them 

 at the very summit of trees and at the end of the slenderest twigs, 

 so that even the agile monkeys of that land, aided with their long, 

 prehensile tails, are unable to reach the nest. 



It is somewhat remarkable that the habit of this insect should 

 be so different from the usual custom, and the more so that a 

 closely-allied species, inhabiting the same country, and which pos- 

 sibly belongs to the same genus, makes its nest in trees according 

 to the ordinary type, and places its combs within the hollows of 

 decaying trees. The honey of this bee is described as being ver}- 

 sweet and richly flavored — so richly, in fact, that very little of it 

 can be taken. 



A creature is upon our list of pensile insects, which may also 

 be reckoned among the social or parasitic insects, but which 

 makes its habitation in such a manner that its proper place is 

 among the pensiles. This is the pretty little ichneumon which 

 is known to entomologists as Microgaster alvearius. The name 

 Microgaster is of Greek origin, and signifies "little belly," this 

 being a very appropriate name for this insect, whose abdomen is 

 of very small dimensions, and indeed appears to be just a little 

 supplementary growth which might be removed without causing 

 any inconvenience to the insect. It belongs to the same genus 

 as a very common insect called Microgaster glomeratus, which will 

 be duly described when the parasitic animals are under consider- 

 ation. 



With regard to this insect I have been rather fortunate, hav- 

 ing found many specimens of the nests, and bred from them sev- 

 eral hundred insects. 



Although plentiful enough in certain places, the Burnet Ich- 



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