486 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



a Humble-bee took possession of the nest, and adapted it to her 

 own purpose. He was unfortunately unable to identify the spe- 

 cies by capturing a specimen, the nest having been destroyed ; 

 but Dr. Bell saw the Bee on one occasion, and observed that it 

 was black, with yellow bands, probably the Bombus pratorum. n 



Moss, however, is the favorite material of the Carder Bees, and, 

 wherever it can be obtained, they will use no other substance, 

 though in places where it is scarce, or not to be found, they em- 

 ploy leaves, grass, or any other suitable material. Whatever 

 may be the material, the Bee always takes great pains to disen- 

 tangle the fibres, in order to be able to weave them in a sys- 

 tematic manner into the nest. This process is conducted by 

 means of the legs, the Bee seizing the fibre with her fore feet, 

 and passing it under her body by means of the remaining pairs 

 of legs, forming it, as she does so, into a small bundle which can 

 be easily carried off. 



The object of the moss and other substances is very simple. 

 The Carder Bees do not build their nests, like those of many 

 Humble-bees, beneath the surface of the ground, but upon it, 

 choosing a spot where there is a slight hollow of an inch or two 

 in depth. The moss is then woven so as to form a domed cover 

 to the cells, this dome being of variable dimensions, according to 

 the number of cells which it covers, but seldom reaching more 

 than three or four inches in height above the ground. As in 

 very rainy weather this mossy dome would not be water-proof, 

 the insects line it with a very coarse, dark-colored wax, similar to 

 that of which the breeding cells are made. 



The entrance to the nest is always at the bottom ; for, although 

 the insects will sometimes make an opening at the top, they seem 

 to do so merely for the purpose of admitting air and warmth, and 

 never enter or leave the nest through it, closing it at night or in 

 rainy weather. Generally a kind of tunnel or arched entrance 

 leads into the nest, like the passage into an Esquimaux snow- 

 house, an edifice to which the moss-covered dome of the Carder 

 Bee bears no small resemblance. 



The best time to search for these Bees is in the hay-making 

 season, when the scythe-men often come upon them during their 

 work ; and a promise of some small reward for this or any other 

 structure will probably produce a tolerable harvest of nests as 

 well as of hay. 



