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360 THE INSECT WORLD. 
great harmony, and even that there is in each nest more than 
one female, for the absence of the sting must prevent any combats. 
If a few cakes of the Melipona’s honeycomb are moved into 
the hollow of a tree, they always found there a new colony. We 
may conclude from this that the workers procure for themselves 
females whenever they want them by means of a special sort 
of food. The savage inhabitants of the American forests collect 
this honey ; but with the carelessness of uncivilised man, they at 
the same time destroy the nests of these precious insects. They 
have now begun to domesticate certain species of Meliponas by 
introducing them into earthen pots or wooden cases. These ~ 
insects have been brought to Europe, but they have always 
perished in the first cold weather. During the summer of 1863, 
there was, in the Museum of Natural History of Paris, a nest of 
Melipona scutellaris from Brazil; but it did not prosper. 
Tur HumBLeE or BUMBLE DEES. 
If in the month of March one passes through the fields, which 
are beginning to get green, or through the woods, still deprived 
of their leaves, there may be seen hovering hither and thither great 
hairy insects, resembling gigantic bees. These are the females 
of the humble bee, called by the French “bourdons,” from the 
buzzing noise they produce. These females have been awakened 
by the spring sun. They examine the cavities of stones, the 
heaps of moss, and the holes hollowed out by the rabbits and 
squirrels, seeking for a suitable spot to construct a nest for their 
progeny. 
The humble bees are of the same family as the bees, whom they 
resemble in their organization. Like them, they are divided into 
males, females, and neuters, or workers. But their companies only 
last a year. At the end of autumn, the whole population has — 
become extinct, with the exception of the pregnant females, which 
pass the winter in a state of torpor, at the bottom of some hole, 
where they wait till the spring to perpetuate their race. Their 
societies comprise generally only a small number of individuals, 
from fifty to three hundred. They are of peaceful habits, their 
ephemeral existence beginning and ending with the flower season. 

