312 OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS. 



bloom of the honeysuckle ; it scarcely settles upon the plants, 

 but feeds on the wing, in the manner of humming birds.* 



WILD BEE. There is a sort of wild bee frequenting the 

 garden-campion for the sake of its tomentum, which probably 

 it turns to some purpose in the business of nidification. It is 

 very pleasant to see with what address it strips off the pubes, 

 running from the top to the bottom of a branch, and shaving 

 it bare with all the dexterity of a hoop shaver. When it has 

 got a vast bundle, almost as large as itself, it flies away, holding 

 it secure between its chin and its fore legs. 



There is a remarkable hill on the downs near Lewes, in 

 Sussex, known by the name of Mount Carburn, which over- 

 looks that town, and affords a most engaging prospect of all 

 the country round, besides several views of the sea. On the 

 very summit of this exalted promontory, and amidst the trenches 

 of its Danish camp, there haunts a species of wild bee, making 

 its nest in the chalky soil. When people approach the place, 

 these insects begin to be alarmed, and, with a sharp and hostile 

 sound, dash and strike round the heads and faces of intruders. 

 I have often been interrupted myself while contemplating the 

 grandeur of the scenery around me, and have thought myself 

 in danger of being stung. 



WASPS. Wasps abound in woody wild districts, far from 

 neighbourhoods : they feed on flowers, and catch flies and 

 caterpillars to carry to their young. Wasps make their nests 

 with the raspings of sound timber; hornets, with what they 



* I have frequently seen the large bee moth, (sphinx stettatarum,) 

 inserting its long tongue, or proboscis, into the centre of flowers, and 

 feeding on their nectar, without settling on them, but keeping constantly 

 on the wing MARK WICK. 



