348 OBSERVATIONS ON 
suckle ; it scarcely settles upon the plants, but feeds on the 
wing in the manner of humming birds.^ 
SPHINX STELLATARUM. 
WILD BEE. 
Theee is a sort of wild bee frequenting the garden-campion 
for the sake of its tomentum, which probably it turns to 
some purpose in the business of nidifi cation. It is very 
pleasant to see with what address it strips off the pubes, 
running from the top to the bottom of a branch, and shav- 
ing it bare with all the dexterity of a hoop shaver. When 
it has got avast bundle almost as large as itself, it flies away, 
holding it secure between its chin and its fore legs. 
There is a remarkable hill on the downs near Lewes in 
Sussex^ known by the name of Mount Carburn, which 
overlooks that town, and affords a most engaging prospect 
of all the country round, besides several views of the sea. 
On the very summit of this exalted promontory, and amidst 
the trenches of its Danish camp, there haunts a species of 
wild bee, making its nest in the chalky soil.^ When people 
^ I have frequently seen the large bee moth (Sphinx stellatarum) 
inserting its long tongue or proboscis into the centre of flowers, and 
feeding on their nectar, without settling on them, but keeping constantly 
on the wing. — Markwick. 
2 This was probably Bomhus lapidarius. — Ed. 
