THE STORY WE LOVE BEST 115 



of plants, take advantage of the tunnel excavated by 

 Ceratina, and drive her away before her nest is finished 

 and take possession of her home. We may safely be- 

 lieve that the plucky little bee would not submit to 

 such an outrage without vigorous remonstrance; and 

 doubtless on such occasions there are duels fought which 

 equal in bravery and ferocity any fought by Knights 

 Errant of old. 



There are still other enemies of the Ceratina too 

 mean and cowardly to achieve their objects by fair 

 fight. One of these, a light and airy insect, with 

 cimeter-shaped body, belongs to the Ichneumonidce, a 

 family noted for deceitfulness, treachery, and blood- 

 thirstiness. This designing creature loiters about and 

 watches the Ceratina building her nest. When the 

 busy builder has filled a cell with pollen, and laid an 

 egg upon it, and has departed to seek materials for a 

 partition, the ichneumon sneaks in and lays one of her 

 eggs there, too ; so when the bee comes back she un- 

 consciously walls in with her child its deadliest foe. 

 When the young bee is nearly grown, the ichneumon 

 egg hatches into a voracious little grub, which evi- 

 dently looks upon the fat bee-larva as choice beefsteak. 

 It falls at once to eating the helpless creature, which 

 conveniently yields sufficient food to nourish the inter- 

 loper until it completes its growth. Then the ichneu- 



