134 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



until, at length, the latter became somewhat accustomed to their 

 presence; but when the Oxybelus came within five or six 

 inches, it darted upon the luckless fly in the same manner as a 

 cat springs upon its prey." The burrows of this species are 

 generally made in hard white sand. 



The boldest of the British bee-buri'owers, is undoubtedly the 

 insect which is called Philanthiis triangulum, inasmuch as it 

 provisions its nest with the common hive-bee, seizing the luck- 

 less honey-makers, and carrying them off to its nest. It is a 

 very fierce-looking creature, with a large head and wide jaws, 

 and has a suspiciously waspish look, owing to its yellow abdo- 

 men and black dots. It does not confine itself to the hive-bees, 

 but seizes also the andrense, and similar insects. 



The members of the genus Cerceris are remarkable for the 

 variable colouring of the species, and for the widely different 

 insects with which they store their nests. Generally they prefer 

 beetles, and, strangely enough, they often select those species 

 which are not only small in body, but are furnished with very 

 hard shells, so that the larva would seem to experience some 

 difficulty in making a meal. Some beetles which Mr. Smith 

 found in the cells of the Cerceris, were so hard that he could 

 with difficulty pass a pin through their bodies. Fortunately 

 for agriculturists, the Cerceris generally selects the very beetles 

 which are most injurious to vegetation, such as the various 

 weevils and the turnip-fleas. Mr. Smith is of opinion that the 

 shells of the beetles are softened by the dampness of the ground 

 in which they lie. 



In the accompanying illustration are shown the nests of two 

 common species of British Humble Bee. 



Both these species are burrowers, and sometimes make their 

 nests at a considerable depth beneath the surface. The common 

 Humble Bee [Bombus terresti'is) generally makes its subterranean 

 house in the side of some bank, and the nest is usually found at a 

 depth of a foot or eighteen inches. Sometimes, however, in places 

 where the soil is light and friable, the nest has been foimd at a 

 very great depth from the surface, so that a perpendicular shaft 

 of five feet in length has been required before the nest could be 

 reached. In all probability the bee has been aided by the burrow 

 of a field mouse, when the gallery has been of such a length. 



The history of the nest is really a curious one. 



