452 INSECTA. 



second which has the structure of the fly, hut is at rest. The first lasts 

 probably nine or ten months ; exemplifying one of the longest periods 

 during which an animal can exist without food, while considerable 

 actions are going on ; such as a change of all the parts, and a formation 

 of many new ones. The female has a long proboscis, which, according 

 to my division, constitutes her a true bee. The two last scales are 

 small, and project with a kind of process which gives more the idea of 

 the male parts than a female. The gland for the white juice for the 

 sting is very large, consisting of a duct having a number of smaller 

 ones passing into it : it is larger than the intestines and ovaria, and is 

 bent down on the opposite side to where it opens or terminates : the 

 one containing the transparent fluid is very small, smaller than that in 

 a common bee. 



In May the females are in search of places to build in, which are in 

 holes in walls 1 . In April 1790 I found them at work with farina on 

 their legs. The same in 1792. Therefore I believe they are the 

 earliest of the wild bee ; for, although the humble-bee is abroad at this 

 season, yet I have found them only sucking honey ; probably for their 

 own food, not for store, as they afterwards do. 



In old brick walls that have had trees trained against them for a 

 long time, and where the lime is much broken, we find them going into 

 such holes : and, by putting one's ear to such a hole, we may hear 

 them either humming or making a noise like ' chick,' ' chick,' which it 

 may be supposed is not loud : we may even detect them by this noise 

 alone. The female carries the farina on her hind-legs, as do the 

 common and humble-bees, and dejwsits it at the bottom of the hole in 

 which she lays her egg or eggs, and she covers them with the same. 

 In this they hatch, and on it the maggot lives. This is done about the 

 latter end of May or the beginning of June. 



Or the Feathered-leg Bee, one of the [Scopulipedes, Latr.]. 



April 4th, 1790, in taking down an old brick wall, where I suspected 

 bees had built their nests, in the latter part of the previous summer I 

 ordered my gardener to examine every crevice for such nests ; and he 

 got this as one in which there were three brown bees, almost ready to 

 make their exit, and which, when taken out of their cells, could fly. 

 They were all males. In size they were rather thicker than the common 

 bee, but not longer. The colour of the hair, which is pretty consider- 

 able, is of a dun, somewhat like the dun humble-bee. The proboscis 

 was very long, especially the sucker. The pincers [mandibles] very 



1 [Anthophora retusa and Anth. accrvoruni.] 



