Wonders of Insect Architecture. 



hodman-architect must become an equally expert caterer, 

 wise in the collecting and blending of precious food- 

 stuffs. Nothing daunted, away on joyous, swiftly 

 vibrating wings she flies to the sunny meadows, all 

 fragrant with grasses and flowers, there to collect honey 

 and pollen. Flying rapidly from flower to flower, the 

 little Mason's crop soon becomes distended with honey, 

 and the lower surface of her body golden with pollen. 

 Away back to the cell, which she enters head first, and 

 for a moment we get a peep of her quivering body, 

 which tells that the honey is being disgorged from her 

 crop. Coming out of the cell, she turns round and 

 re-enters it backwards, this curious operation being per- 

 formed apparently that she may the better brush with 

 her two hind legs the load of golden pollen off her 

 body on to the regurgitated honey. This accomplished, 

 she enters the cell again head first, to stir and properly 

 mix together the honey and pollen into a sweet mass. 

 Many visits have to be made to the meadows, but at 

 last the cell is half filled with the honey paste, and 

 victualling operations are completed. An egg is now 

 deposited on the food mass, and the entrance to the cell 

 closed in by a cover of fine, undiluted mortar. Given 

 fine weather, the whole operation of cell-building, 

 victualling, egg-laying, and closing of the entrance is 

 completed in about two days. This, however, does 

 not see the close of the labours of our little insect archi- 

 tect, for no sooner is the first cell completed and vic- 

 tualled than a second cell, backing on the first, is started, 

 built up, and stored in the same way ; and so in succes- 

 sion a third, fourth, fifth, up to maybe eight or ten 

 cells, all close together, are built, provisioned, an egg 



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