NATURAL HISTORY. ee. 
Randing, for the wood it makes choice of is half rotten. The holes 
are not made dire&ly forward, but turning to one fide, and have an 
pening fufficient to admit one’s middle finger ; from whence runs the 
Mner appartment, generally twelve or fifteen inches long. - The inftru- 
Ments ufed in boaring thefe cavities, are their teeth; the cavity is ufu- 
ally branched into three or four apartments; and in each of thefe, they 
y their eggs, to the number of ten or twelve, each feparate and 
Witina from the ret: The egg is involved in a fort of pate, which 
eves at once for the young animal’s protection and nourifhment. The 
Srown bees, however, feed upon {mall infects, particularly a loufe, of 
4 reddifh brown colour, of the fize of a fmall pin’s head. _ 
Mafon Bees make their cells with a fort of mortar, made of earth, 
Which they build againft a wall that is expofed to the fun. The mor- 
tar, which at firft is foft, foon becomes as hard as ftone, and in this 
tir eggs are laid. Each neft contains feven or eight cells, an egg in 
‘very cell, placed regularly one over the other. If the neft remains 
Xnhurt, or wants but little repairs they make ufe of them the year en- 
ting: and thus they often ferve three or four years facceflively. From 
the ftrength of their houfes, one would think thefe bees in perfect fecu- 
tity, yet none are more expofed than they. A worm with very ftrong 
teeth, is often found to bore into their little fortifications, and devour 
cir young. 
The Ground Bee builds its neft in the earth, wherein they make 
Tound holes, five or fix inches deep; the mouth being narrow, and 
Only jut fufficient to admit the little inhabitant. It is amufing enough, 
to obferve the patience and affiduity with which they labour. They 
Carry out all the earth, grain by grain, to the mouth of the hole, where 
it forms a little hillock, an Alps compared to the power of the artilt 
Y which it is raifed. Sometimes the walks of a garden are found 
Undermined by their labours; fome of the holes running diredily down- 
Ward, others horizontally beneath the furface. They lay up in thefe 
favities provifions for their young, which confift of a pafte that has the 
appearance of corn, and is of a {weetith tafte. 
The Leaf: cutting Bees make their neft and lay their eggs among bits 
°f leaves very artificially placed in holes in the earth, of about the 
‘ength of a tooth-pick cafe. They make the bits of leaves of a round- 
ith form, and with them line the infide of their habitations. This ta- 
Peftry is fill further lined by a reddith kind of pafte, fomewhat fweet 
%r acid. Thefe bees are of various kinds; thofe that build their nefts 
With chefnut-leaves are as big as drones, but thofe of the rofe-tree are 
aller than the common bee. 
The Wall Bees are fo called, becaufe they make their nefts in walls 
a kind of filky membrane with which they fill up the vacuities be- 
tWeen the fmall ftones which form the fides of their habitation. Their 
partment confifts of feveral cells placed end to end, each in the fhape 
& woman’s thimble. Though the web which lines this habitation is 
thick and warm, yet it is tranfparent and of a whitifh colour. This 
Ubftance is fuppofed to be fpun from the animal’s body. The male 
8nd females are of a fize, but the former are without a fting. ‘To thefe 
Varieties of the bee kind might be added feveral others which are all. 
erent in nature, of which hereafter. 
Na However 
