How Animals Work. 



The Poppy Bee selects the petals of the common 

 scarlet poppy to line her nest. First she digs perpen- 

 dicular holes, selecting a dry, sandy soil for preference, 

 and smooths and pounds their sides with her feet so 

 as to make the walls firm and lasting. Then off she 

 flies in search of poppies, and, selecting the youngest 

 and freshest, cuts off pieces of the petals of the mos^ 

 beautiful flowers. She then flies back to the hole she 

 has dug, and stuffs the strip of poppy petal into it. 

 The delicate red tissue is crumpled in the process, but 

 once inside the bee sets to work, and presses the petal 

 against the sides of the hole, working away until every 

 crease has been smoothed out. In this way the interior 

 of the cell is lined with the vivid scarlet pieces of poppy 

 petal. A mass of honey and pollen is then worked up 

 and an egg placed on it. The free ends of the Kning 

 of the cell are folded in to prevent any sand falling 

 upon the egg or the honey paste, and the entrance to 

 the cell is obliterated. 



The great violet-winged Carpenter Bee is a most 

 interesting insect, and a very capable worker in wood, 

 while the genus to which she belongs contains many 

 of the largest and most powerful bees, and is very widely 

 distributed in various parts of the world. When about 

 to construct her nest the Carpenter Bee may be seen 

 flying from tree to tree, carefully examining the boughs, 

 and she will also investigate every wooden post and 

 beam that may be in the neighbourhood in her search 

 for a suitable site. What she is really seeking is a piece 

 of dry, seasoned wood, that is not too hard for ner 

 jaws ; for she never touches green living timber, though 

 she will form her nest in all sorts of dry wood that may 



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