HYMENOPTERA. 365 
struction, simply make cylindrical vases. There are among the 
humble bees races of artists and races of simple builders: the one 
construct with taste, the other only seek the useful. 
During the day, the humble bees cull honey from the flowers. 
| At night they enter their home; but a certain number take the 
liberty of sleeping out. Surprised by the arrival of night, in 
the bottom of the calix of a sweetly-scented flower, they philo- 
sophically determine to sleep in the open air, lying on this 
perfumed bed, with the heaven as their canopy. 
The coupling of the humble bees takes place towards the end of 
September. It costs the males their life, as it does with the hive 
bees. The impregnated females do not lay till the following 
spring ; it is they who, after the winter is passed, will become the 
mothers of new generations. They will take the reins of the family 
when the mother who founded the colony, the males, as also the 
| workers, shall, according to the laws of nature, have passed away. 
There are often, on the. other hand, some workers which, born in 
| the spring, become fruitful, and lay the same year, but only the 
2 i = 
eggs of males. These become a butt for the jealousy of the 
reigning mother, who pursues them with fury and devours their 
egos. These, however, have themselves cruel hearts. Animated 
by a profound jealousy, they dispute the occupancy of the cells 
savagely, so as to be able to lay a few eggs in them, which are no 
sooner laid than they are destroyed by their savage sisters. How- 
ever, they never make use of their stings in any of these attacks. 
The humble bee population is peaceful, even in its combats. 
After the first cold weather in autumn, all these insects, as we 
have said, perish, except the pregnant females. These privileged 
depositaries of the race, spem altera domi, look for a place of 
retreat, and there sleep till the following spring. Then they wake 
up and found new colonies, which continue the race. 
For a long while were confounded with the humble bees certain 
insects which have the same appearance, that is to say, a hairy 
body, with bands of various colours, but whose hind legs are 
adapted neither for gathering honey nor for buildmg. These are 
the genus Psithyrus; vt was Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau who 
discovered their true position. These are parasites, and only 
consist of males and fertile females, without workers. They lay 

