Letusreturntothereed—stumpwhichgivesusthesedetails。Beyondthecotton—woolcylinderwhereintencocoonsarelodgedinarowcomesanemptyspaceofhalfadecimetreormore。（Abouttwoinches。—
—Translator'sNote。）TheOsmiaeandtheLeaf—cuttersarealsoaccustomedtoleavetheselong,desertedvestibules。Thenestends,attheorificeofthereed,withastrongplugofflockcoarserandlesswhitethanthatofthecells。Thisuseofclosing—materialswhicharelessdelicateintexturebutofgreaterresisting—power,whilenotaninvariablecharacteristic,occursfrequentlyenoughtomakeussuspectthattheinsectknowshowtodistinguishwhatisbestsuitednowtothesnugsleeping—berthofthelarvae,anontothedefensivebarricadeofthehome。Sometimesthechoiceisanexceedinglyjudiciousone,asisshownbythenestoftheDiademAnthidium。Timeaftertime,whereasthecellswerecomposedofthefinestgradeofwhitecotton,gatheredfromCentaureasolsticialis,orSt。Barnaby'sthistle,thebarrierattheentrance,differingfromtherestoftheworkinitsyellowcolouring,wasaheapofclose—setbristlessuppliedbythescallop—leavedmullein。Thetwofunctionsofthewaddingarehereplainlymarked。Thedelicateskinofthelarvaeneedsawell—paddedcradle;andthemothercollectsthesoftestmaterialsthatthecottonyplantsprovide。Rivallingthebird,whichfurnishestheinsideofthenestwithwoolandstrengthenstheoutsidewithsticks,shereservesforthegrubs'mattressthefinestdown,sohardtofindandcollectedwithsuchpatience。But,whenitbecomesamatterofshuttingthedooragainstthefoe,thentheentrancebristleswithforbiddingcaltrops,withstiff,pricklyhairs。
ThisingenioussystemofdefenceisnottheonlyoneknowntotheAnthidia。Moredistrustfulstill,theManicateAnthidiumleavesnospaceinthefrontpartofthereed。Immediatelyafterthecolumnofcells,sheheapsup,intheuninhabitedvestibule,aconglomerationofrubbish,whateverchancemayofferintheneighbourhoodofthenest:littlepiecesofgravel,bitsofearth,grainsofsawdust,particlesofmortar,cypress—catkins,brokenleaves,drySnail—
droppingsandanyothermaterialthatcomesherway。Thepile,arealbarricadethistime,blocksthereedcompletelytotheend,exceptabouttwocentimetres（Aboutthree—quartersofaninch。——Translator'sNote。）leftforthefinalcottonplug。Certainlynofoewillbreakinthroughthedoublerampart;buthewillmakeaninsidiousattackfromtherear。TheLeucopsiswillcomeand,withherlongprobe,thankstosomeimperceptiblefissureinthetube,willinsertherdreadeggsanddestroyeverysingleinhabitantofthefortress。ThusaretheManicateAnthidium'sanxiousprecautionsoutwitted。
IfwehadnotalreadyseenthesamethingwiththeLeaf—cutters,thiswouldbetheplacetoenlargeupontheuselesstasksundertakenbytheinsectwhen,withitsovariesapparentlydepleted,itgoesonspendingitsstrengthwithnomaternalobjectinviewandforthesolepleasureofwork。Ihavecomeacrossseveralreedsstoppedupwithflockthoughcontainingnothingatall,orelsefurnishedwithone,twoorthreecellsdevoidofprovisionsoreggs。Theever—
imperiousinstinctforgatheringcottonandfeltingitintopursesandheapingitintobarricadespersists,fruitlessly,untillifefails。TheLizard'stailwriggles,curlsanduncurlsafteritisdetachedfromtheanimal'sbody。Inthesereflexmovements,Iseemtoseenotanexplanation,certainly,butaroughimageoftheindustriouspersistencyoftheinsect,stilltoilingawayatitsbusiness,evenwhenthereisnothingusefullefttodo。Thisworkerknowsnorestbutdeath。
IhavesaidenoughaboutthedwellingoftheDiademAnthidium;letuslookattheinhabitantandherprovisions。Thehoneyispale—yellow,homogeneousandofasemifluidconsistency,whichpreventsitfromtricklingthroughtheporouscottonbag。Theeggfloatsonthesurfaceoftheheap,withtheendcontainingtheheaddippedintothepaste。Tofollowthelarvathroughitsprogressivestagesisnotwithoutinterest,especiallyonaccountofthecocoon,whichisoneofthemostsingularthatIknow。Withthisobjectinview,Iprepareafewcellsthatlendthemselvestoobservation。Itakeapairofscissors,sliceapieceoffthesideofthecotton—woolpurse,soastolaybareboththevictualsandtheconsumer,andplacetherippedcellinashortglasstube。Duringthefirstfewdays,nothingstrikinghappens。Thelittlegrub,withitsheadstillplungedinthehoney,slakesitsthirstwithlongdraughtsandwaxesfat。Amomentcomes……Butletusgobackalittlefarther,beforebroachingthisquestionofsanitation。
Everygrub,ofwhateverkind,fedonprovisionscollectedbythemotherandplacedinanarrowcellissubjecttoconditionsofhealthunknowntotherovinggrubthatgoeswhereitlikesandfeedsitselfonwhatitcanpickup。Thefirst,therecluse,isnomoreablethanthesecond,thegadabout,tosolvetheproblemofafoodwhichcanbeentirelyassimilated,withoutleavinganuncleanresidue。Thesecondgivesnothoughttothesesordidmatters:anyplacesuitsitforgettingridofthatdifficulty。Butwhatwilltheotherdowithitswastematter,coopedupasitisinatinycellstuffedfullofprovisions？Amostunpleasantmixtureseemsinevitable。Picturethehoney—eatinggrubfloatingonliquidprovisionsandfoulingthematintervalswithitsexcretions！Theleastmovementofthehinder—partwouldcausethewholetoamalgamate;andwhatabroththatwouldmakeforthedelicatenursling！No,itcannotbe;thosedaintyepicuresmusthavesomemethodofescapingthesehorrors。
Theyallhave,infact,andmostoriginalmethodsatthat。Sometakethebullbythehorns,sotospeak,and,inordernottosoilthings,refrainfromuncleanlinessuntiltheendofthemeal:theykeepthedropping—trapclosedaslongasthevictualsareunfinished。Thisisaradicalscheme,butnotineveryone'spower,itappears。Itisthecourseadopted,forinstance,bytheSphex—waspsandtheAnthophora—
bees,who,whenthewholeofthefoodisconsumed,expelatoneshottheresiduesamassedintheintestinessincethecommencementoftherepast。
Others,theOsmiaeinparticular,acceptacompromiseandbegintorelievethedigestivetractwhenasuitablespacehasbeenmadeinthecellthroughthegradualdisappearanceofthevictuals。Othersagain——morehurriedthese——findmeansofobeyingthecommonlawprettyearlybyengaginginstercoralmanufactures。Byastrokeofgenius,theymaketheunpleasantobstructionintobuilding—bricks。WealreadyknowtheartoftheLily—beetle（Criocerismerdigera。Fabre'sessayonthisinsecthasnotyetbeentranslatedintoEnglish;butreadersinterestedinthematterwillfindafulldescriptionin"AnIntroductiontoEntomology,"byWilliamKirby,RectorofBarham,andWilliamSpence:letter21。——Translator'sNote。）,who,withhersoftexcrement,makesherselfacoatwhereintokeepcoolinspiteofthesun。Itisaverycrudeandrevoltingart,disgustingtotheeye。TheDiademAnthidiumbelongstoanotherschool。Withherdroppingsshefashionsmasterpiecesofmarquetryandmosaic,whichwhollyconcealtheirbaseoriginfromtheonlooker。Letuswatchherlaboursthroughthewindowsofmytubes。
Whentheportionoffoodisnearlyhalfconsumed,therebeginsandgoesontotheendafrequentdefecationofyellowishdroppings,eachhardlythesizeofapin'shead。Astheseareejected,thegrubpushesthembacktothecircumferenceofthecellwithamovementofitshinder—partandkeepsthemtherebymeansofafewthreadsofsilk。Theworkofthespinnerets,therefore,whichisdeferredintheothersuntiltheprovisionsarefinished,startsearlierhereandalternateswiththefeeding。Inthisway,theexcretionsarekeptatadistance,awayfromthehoneyandwithoutanydangerofgettingmixedwithit。Theyendbybecomingsonumerousastoformanalmostcontinuousscreenaroundthelarva。Thisexcrementalawning,madehalfofsilkandhalfofdroppings,istheroughdraftofthecocoon,orratherasortofscaffoldingonwhichthestonesaredepositeduntiltheyaredefinitelyplacedinposition。Pendingthepiecingtogetherofthemosaic,thescaffoldingkeepsthevictualsfreefromallcontamination。
Togetridofwhatcannotbeflungoutside,byhangingitontheceiling,isnotbadtobeginwith;buttouseitformakingaworkofartisbetterstill。Thehoneyhasdisappeared。Nowcommencesthefinalweavingofthecocoon。Thegrubsurroundsitselfwithawallofsilk,firstpurewhite,thentintedreddish—brownbymeansofanadhesivevarnish。Throughitsloose—meshedstuff,itseizesonebyonethedroppingshangingfromthescaffoldandinlaysthemfirmlyinthetissue。ThesamemodeofworkisemployedbytheBembex—,Stizus—
andTachytes—waspsandotherinlayers,whostrengthentheinadequatewoofoftheircocoonswithgrainsofsand;only,intheircotton—woolpurses,theAnthidium'sgrubssubstituteforthemineralparticlestheonlysolidmaterialsattheirdisposal。Forthem,excrementtakestheplaceofpebbles。
Andtheworkgoesnonetheworseforit。Onthecontrary:whenthecocoonisfinished,anyonewhohadnotwitnessedtheprocessofmanufacturewouldbegreatlypuzzledtostatethenatureoftheworkmanship。Thecolouringandtheelegantregularityoftheouterwrapperofthecocoonsuggestsomekindofbasket—workmadewithtinybitsofbamboo,oramarquetryofexoticgranules。Itooletmyselfbecaughtbyitinmyearlydaysandwonderedinvainwhatthehermitofthecottonwallethadusedtoinlayhernymphaldwellingsoprettilywithal。To—day,whenthesecretisknowntome,Iadmiretheingenuityoftheinsectcapableofobtainingtheusefulandthebeautifuloutofthebasestmaterials。
Thecocoonhasanothersurpriseinstoreforus。Theendcontainingtheheadfinisheswithashortconicalnipple,anapex,piercedbyanarrowshaftthatestablishesacommunicationbetweentheinsideandtheout。ThisarchitecturalfeatureiscommontoalltheAnthidia,totheresin—workerswhowilloccupyourattentionpresently,aswellastothecotton—workers。ItisfoundnowhereoutsidetheAnthidiumgroup。
Whatistheuseofthispointwhichthelarvaleavesbareinsteadofinlayingitliketherestoftheshell？Whatistheuseofthathole,leftquiteopenor,atmost,closedatthebottomwithafeeblegratingofsilk？Theinsectappearstoattachgreatimportancetoit,fromwhatIsee。Inpointoffact,Iwatchthecarefulworkoftheapex。Thegrub,whosemovementstheholeenablesmetofollow,patientlyperfectsthelowerendoftheconicalchannel,polishesitandgivesitanexactlycircularshape;fromtimetotime,itinsertsintothepassageitstwoclosedmandibles,whosepointsprojectalittlewayoutside;then,openingthemtoadefiniteradius,likeapairofcompasses,itwidenstheapertureandmakesitregular。
Iimagine,withoutventuring,however,tomakeacategoricalstatement,thattheperforatedapexisachimneytoadmittheairrequiredforbreathing。Everypupabreathesinitsshell,howevercompactthismaybe,evenastheunhatchedbirdbreathesinsidetheegg。Thethousandsofporeswithwhichtheshellispiercedallowtheinsidemoisturetoevaporateandtheouterairtopenetrateasandwhenneeded。ThestonycasketsoftheBembex—andStizus—waspsareendowed,notwithstandingtheirhardness,withsimilarmeansofexchangebetweenthevitiatedandthepureatmosphere。CantheshellsoftheAnthidiabeair—proof,owingtosomemodificationthatescapesme？Inanycase,thisimpermeabilitycannotbeattributedtotheexcrementalmosaic,whichthecocoonsoftheresin—workingAnthidiadonotpossess,thoughendowedwithanapexoftheverybest。
Shallwefindananswertothequestioninthevarnishwithwhichthesilkenfabricisimpregnated？IhesitatetosayyesandIhesitatetosayno,forahostofcocoonsarecoatedwithasimilarlacquerthoughdeprivedofcommunicationwiththeoutsideair。Allsaid,withoutbeingableatpresenttoaccountforitsnecessity,IadmitthattheapexoftheAnthidiaisabreathing—aperture。Ibequeathtothefuturethetaskoftellingusforwhatreasonsthecollectorsofbothcottonandresinleavealargeporeintheirshells,whereasalltheotherweaversclosetheirscompletely。
Afterthesebiologicalcuriosities,itremainsformetodiscusstheprincipalsubjectofthischapter:thebotanicaloriginofthematerialsofthenest。Bywatchingtheinsectwhenbusyatitsharvesting,orelsebyexaminingitsmanufacturedflockunderthemicroscope,Iwasabletolearn,notwithoutagreatexpenditureoftimeandpatience,thatthedifferentAnthidiaofmyneighbourhoodhaverecoursewithoutdistinctiontoanycottonyplant。MostofthewaddingissuppliedbytheCompositae,particularlythefollowing:
Centaureasolsticialis,orSt。Barnaby'sthistle;C。paniculata,orpanicledcentaury;Echinopsritro,orsmallglobe—thistle;Onopordonillyricum,orIllyriancotton—thistle;Helichrysumstaechas,orwildeverlasting;Filagogermanica,orcommoncotton—rose。NextcometheLabiatae:Marrubiumvulgare,orcommonwhitehorehound;Ballotafetida,orstinkinghorehound;Calaminthanepeta,orlessercalamint;
Salviaaethiopis,orwoollysage。Lastly,theSolanaceae:Verbascumthapsus,orshepherd'sclub;V。sinuatum,orscollop—leavedmullein。
TheCotton—bees'flora,wesee,incompleteasitisinmynotes,embracesplantsofverydifferentaspect。Thereisnoresemblanceinappearancebetweentheproudcandelabrumofthecotton—thistle,withitsredtufts,andthehumblestalkoftheglobe—thistle,withitssky—bluecapitula;betweentheplentifulleavesofthemulleinandthescantyfoliageoftheSt。Barnaby'sthistle;betweentherichsilveryfleeceofthewoollysageandtheshorthairsoftheeverlasting。WiththeAnthidium,theseclumsybotanicalcharacteristicsdonotcount;onethingaloneguidesher:thepresenceofcotton。Providedthattheplantbemoreorlesswell—
coveredwithsoftwadding,therestisimmaterialtoher。
Anothercondition,however,hastobefulfilled,apartfromthefinenessofthecotton—wool。Theplant,tobeworthshearing,mustbedeadanddry。Ihaveneverseentheharvestingdoneonfreshplants。
Inthisway,theBeeavoidsmildew,whichwouldmakeitsappearanceinamassofhairsstillfilledwithsap。
Faithfultotheplantrecognizedasyieldinggoodresults,theAnthidiumarrivesandresumeshergleaningontheedgesofthepartsdenudedbyearlierharvests。Hermandiblesscrapeawayandpassthetinyfluffs,onebyone,tothehind—legs,whichholdthepelletpressedagainstthechest,mixwithittherapidly—increasingstoreofdownandmakethewholeintoalittleball。Whenthisisthesizeofapea,itgoesbackintothemandibles;andtheinsectfliesoff,withitsbaleofcottoninitsmouth。Ifwehavethepatiencetowait,weshallseeitreturntothesamepoint,atintervalsofafewminutes,solongasthebagisnotmade。Theforagingforprovisionswillsuspendthecollectingofcotton;then,nextdayorthedayafter,thescrapingwillberesumedonthesamestalk,onthesameleaf,ifthefleecebenotexhausted。Theownerofarichcropappearstokeeptoituntiltheclosing—plugcallsforcoarsermaterials;andeventhenthisplugisoftenmanufacturedwiththesamefineflockasthecells。
Afterascertainingthediversityofcotton—fieldsamongournativeplants,InaturallyhadtoenquirewhethertheCotton—beewouldalsoputupwithexoticplants,unknowntoherrace;whethertheinsectwouldshowanyhesitationinthepresenceofwoollyplantsofferedforthefirsttimetotherakesofhermandibles。ThecommonclaryandtheBabyloniancentaury,withwhichIhavestockedtheharmas,shallbetheharvest—fields;thereapershallbetheDiademAnthidium,theinmateofmyreeds。
Thecommonclary,ortoute—bonne,formspart,Iknow,ofourFrenchflorato—day;butitisanacclimatizedforeigner。Theysaythatagallantcrusader,returningfromPalestinewithhisshareofgloryandbruises,broughtbackthetoute—bonnefromtheLevanttohelphimcurehisrheumatismanddresshiswounds。Fromthelordlymanor,theplantpropagateditselfinalldirections,whileremainingfaithfultothewallsunderwhoseshelterthenobledamesofyoreusedtogrowitfortheirunguents。Tothisday,feudalruinsareitsfavouriteresorts。Crusadersandmanorsdisappeared;theplantremained。Inthiscase,theoriginoftheclary,whetherhistoricalorlegendary,isofsecondaryimportance。EvenifitwereofspontaneousgrowthincertainpartsofFrance,thetoute—bonneisundoubtedlyastrangerintheVauclusedistrict。Onlyonceinthecourseofmylongbotanizing—
expeditionsacrossthedepartmenthaveIcomeuponthisplant。ItwasatCaromb,insomeruins,nearlythirtyyearsago。Itookacuttingofit;andsincethenthecrusaders'sagehasaccompaniedmeonallmyperegrinations。Mypresenthermitagepossessesseveraltuftsofit:but,outsidetheenclosure,exceptatthefootofthewalls,itwouldbeimpossibletofindone。Wehave,therefore,aplantthatisnewtothecountryformanymilesaround,acotton—fieldwhichtheSerignanCotton—beeshadneverutilizedbeforeIcameandsowedit。
NorhadtheyevermadeuseoftheBabyloniancentaury,whichIwasthefirsttointroduceinordertocovermyungratefulstonysoilwithsomelittlevegetation。TheyhadneverseenanythinglikethecolossalcentauryimportedfromtheregionoftheEuphrates。Nothinginthelocalflora,noteventhecotton—thistle,hadpreparedthemforthisstalkasthickasachild'swrist,crownedataheightofninefeetwithamultitudeofyellowballs,norforthosegreatleavesspreadingoverthegroundinanenormousrosette。Whatwilltheydointhepresenceofsuchafind？TheywilltakepossessionofitwithnomorehesitationthanifitwerethehumbleSt。Barnaby'sthistle,theusualpurveyor。
Infact,IplaceafewstalksofclaryandBabyloniancentaury,dulydried,nearthereed—hives。TheDiademAnthidiumisnotlongindiscoveringtherichharvest。Straightawaythewoolisrecognizedasbeingofexcellentquality,somuchsothat,duringthethreeorfourweeksofnest—building,Icandailywitnessthegleaning,nowontheclary,nowonthecentaury。NeverthelesstheBabylonianplantappearstobepreferred,nodoubtbecauseofitswhiter,finerandmoreplentifuldown。Ikeepawatchfuleyeonthescrapingofthemandiblesandtheworkofthelegsastheypreparethepellet;andI
seenothingthatdiffersfromtheoperationsoftheinsectwhengleaningontheglobe—thistleandtheSt。Barnaby'sthistle。TheplantfromtheEuphratesandtheplantfromPalestinearetreatedlikethoseofthedistrict。
ThuswefindwhattheLeaf—cutterstaughtusproved,inanotherway,bythecotton—gatherers。Inthelocalflora,theinsecthasnoprecisedomain;itreapsitsharvestreadilynowfromonespecies,nowfromanother,providedthatitfindthematerialsforitsmanufactures。Theexoticplantisacceptedquiteaseasilyasthatofindigenousgrowth。Lastly,thechangefromoneplanttoanother,fromthecommontotherare,fromthehabitualtotheexceptional,fromtheknowntotheunknown,ismadesuddenly,withoutgradualinitiations。Thereisnonovitiate,notrainingbyhabitinthechoiceofthematerialsforthenest。Theinsect'sindustry,variableinitsdetailsbysudden,individualandnon—transmissibleinnovations,givesthelietothetwogreatfactorsofevolution:
timeandheredity。
CHAPTER10。THERESIN—BEES。
AtthetimewhenFabricius（JohannChristianFabricius（1745—1808）,anotedDanishentomologist,authorof"Systemaentomologiae"（1775）。——
Translator'sNote。）gavethegenusAnthidiumitsname,anamestillusedinourclassifications,entomologiststroubledverylittleabouttheliveanimal;theyworkedoncorpses,adissecting—roommethodwhichdoesnotyetseemtobedrawingtoanend。Theywouldexaminewithaconscientiouseyetheantenna,themandible,thewing,theleg,withoutaskingthemselveswhatusetheinsecthadmadeofthoseorgansintheexerciseofitscalling。Theanimalwasclassifiedverynearlyafterthemanneradoptedincrystallography。Structurewaseverything;life,withitshighestprerogatives,intellect,instinct,didnotcount,wasnotworthyofadmissionintothezoologicalscheme。
Itistruethatanalmostexclusivelynecrologicalstudyisobligatoryatfirst。Tofillone'sboxeswithinsectsstuckonpinsisanoperationwithinthereachofall;towatchthosesameinsectsintheirmodeoflife,theirwork,theirhabitsandcustomsisquiteadifferentthing。Thenomenclatorwholacksthetime——andsometimesalsotheinclination——takeshismagnifying—glass,analyzesthedeadbodyandnamestheworkerwithoutknowingitswork。Hencethenumberofappellationstheleastofwhosefaultsisthattheyareunpleasanttotheear,certainofthem,indeed,beinggrossmisnomers。Havewenot,forinstance,seenthenameofLithurgus,orstone—worker,giventoaBeewhoworksinwoodandnothingbutwood？Suchabsurditieswillbeinevitableuntiltheanimal'sprofessionissufficientlyfamiliartolenditsaidinthecompilingofdiagnoses。Itrustthatthefuturewillseethismagnificentadvanceinentomologicalscience:menwillreflectthattheimpaledspecimensinourcollectionsoncelivedandfollowedatrade;andanatomywillbekeptinitsproperplaceandmadetoleavedueroomforbiology。
FabriciusdidnotcommithimselfwithhisexpressionAnthidium,whichalludestotheloveofflowers,butneitherdidhementionanythingcharacteristic:asallBeeshavethesamepassioninaveryhighdegree,IseenoreasontotreattheAnthidiaasmorezealouslootersthantheothers。Ifhehadknowntheircottonnests,perhapstheScandinaviannaturalistwouldhavegiventhemamorelogicaldenomination。Asforme,inalanguagewhereintechnicalparadeisoutofplace,IwillcallthemtheCotton—bees。
Thetermrequiressomelimiting。Tojudgebymyfinds,infact,theoldgenusAnthidium,thatoftheclassifyingentomologists,comprisesinmydistricttwoverydifferentcorporations。Oneisknowntousandworksexclusivelyinwadding;theother,whichweareabouttostudy,worksinresin,withouteverhavingrecoursetocotton。
Faithfultomyextremelysimpleprincipleofdefiningtheworker,asfaraspossible,byhiswork,IwillcallthemembersofthisguildtheResin—bees。Thusconfiningmyselftothedatasuppliedbymyobservations,IdividetheAnthidiumgroupintoequalsections,ofequalimportance,forwhichIdemandspecialgenerictitles;foritishighlyillogicaltocallthecardersofwoolandthekneadersofresinbythesamename。Isurrendertothosewhomitconcernsthehonourofeffectingthisreformintheorthodoxfashion。
Goodluck,thefriendofthepersevering,mademeacquaintedindifferentpartsofVauclusewithfourResin—beeswhosesingulartradenoonehadyetsuspected。To—day,Ifindthemallfouragaininmyownneighbourhood。Theyarethefollowing:Anthidiumseptemdentatum,LATR。,A。bellicosum,LEP。,A。quadrilobum,LEP。,andA。Latreillii,LEP。ThefirsttwomaketheirnestsindesertedSnail—shells;theothertwosheltertheirgroupsofcellssometimesintheground,sometimesunderalargestone。WewillfirstdiscusstheinhabitantsoftheSnail—shell。Imadeabriefreferencetotheminanearlierchapter,whenspeakingofthedistributionofthesexes。Thismereallusion,suggestedbyastudyofadifferentkind,mustnowbeamplified。Ireturntoitwithfullerparticulars。
Thestone—heapsintheRomanquarriesnearSerignan,whichIhavesooftenvisitedinsearchofthenestsoftheOsmiawhotakesupherabodeinSnail—shells,supplymealsowiththetwoResin—beesinstalledinsimilarquarters。WhentheField—mousehasleftbehindhimarichcollectionofemptyshellsscatteredallroundhishaymattressundertheslab,thereisalwaysahopeoffindingsomeSnail—shellspluggedwithmudand,hereandthere,mixedwiththem,afewSnail—shellsclosedwithresin。ThetwoBeesworknextdoortoeachother,oneusingclay,theothergum。Theexcellenceofthelocalityisresponsibleforthisfrequentcohabitation,shelterbeingprovidedbythebrokenstonefromthequarryandlodgingsbytheshellswhichtheMousehasleftbehind。
AtplaceswheredeadSnail—shellsarefewandfarbetween,asinthecrevicesofrusticwalls,eachBeeoccupiesbyherselftheshellswhichshehasfound。Buthere,inthequarries,ourcropwillcertainlybeadoubleorevenatrebleone,forbothResin—beesfrequentthesameheaps。Letus,therefore,liftthestonesanddigintothemounduntiltheexcessivedampnessofthesubsoiltellsusthatitisuselesstolooklowerdown。Sometimesatthemomentofremovingthefirstlayer,sometimesatadepthofeighteeninches,weshallfindtheOsmia'sSnail—shelland,muchmorerarely,theResin—
bee's。Aboveall,patience！Thejobisnoneofthemostfruitful;
norisitexactlyanagreeableone。Bydintofturningoveruncommonlyjaggedstones,ourfingertipsgethurt,losetheirskinandbecomeassmoothasthoughwehadheldthemonagrindstone。
Afterawholeafternoonofthiswork,ourbackwillbeaching,ourfingerswillbeitchingandsmartingandweshallpossessadozenOsmia—nestsandperhapstwoorthreeResin—bees'nests。Letusbecontentwiththat。
TheOsmia'sshellscanberecognizedatonce,asbeingclosedattheorificewithaclaycover。TheAnthidium'scallforaspecialexamination,withoutwhichweshouldrunagreatriskoffillingourpocketswithcumbersomerubbish。WefindadeadSnail—shellamongthestones。IsitinhabitedbytheResin—beeornot？Theoutsidetellsusnothing。TheAnthidium'sworkcomesatthebottomofthespiral,alongwayfromthemouth;and,thoughthisiswideopen,theeyecannottravelfarenoughalongthewindingstair。Iholdupthedoubtfulshelltothelight。Ifitiscompletelytransparent,IknowthatitisemptyandIputitbacktoserveforfuturenests。Ifthesecondwhorlisopaque,thespiralcontainssomething。Whatdoesitcontain？Earthwashedinbytherain？RemnantsoftheputrefiedSnail？Thatremainstobeseen。Withalittlepocket—trowel,theinquisitorialimplementwhichalwaysaccompaniesme,Imakeawidewindowinthemiddleofthefinalwhorl。IfIseeagleamingresinfloor,withincrustationsofgravel,thethingissettled:IpossessanAnthidium'snest。But,ohthenumberoffailuresthatgotoonesuccess！Thenumberofwindowsvainlyopenedinshellswhosebottomisstuffedwithclayorwithnoisomecorpses！Thuspickingshellsamongtheoverturnedstone—heaps,inspectingtheminthesun,breakingintothemwiththetrowelandnearlyalwaysrejectingthem,Imanage,afterrepeatedattempts,toobtainmymaterialsforthischapter。
ThefirsttohatchistheSeven—prongedResin—bee（Anthidiumseptemdentatum）。Weseeher,inthemonthofApril,lumberingalongtotherubbish—heapsinthequarriesandthelowboundary—walls,insearchofherSnail—shell。SheisacontemporaryoftheThree—hornedOsmia,whobeginsoperationsinthelastweekofApril,andoftenoccupiesthesamestone—heap,settlinginthenextshell。Sheiswell—advisedtostartworkearlyandtobeonneighbourlytermswiththeOsmiawhenthelatterisbuilding;infact,weshallsoonseetheterribledangerstowhichthatsameproximityexposesherdilatoryrivalinresin—work,Anthidiumbellicosum。
TheshelladoptedinthegreatmajorityofcasesisthatoftheCommonSnail,Helixaspersa。Itissometimesoffullsize,sometimeshalf—developed。HelixnemoralisandH。caespitum,whicharemuchsmaller,alsosupplysuitablelodgings;andthiswouldassurelyapplytoanyshellofsufficientcapacity,iftheplaceswhichI
explorepossessedothers,aswitnessanestwhichmysonEmilehassentmefromsomewherenearMarseilles。Thistime,theResin—beeissettledinHelixalgira,themostremarkableofourland—shellsbecauseofthewidthandregularityofitsspiral,whichiscopiedfromthatoftheAmmonites。Thismagnificentnest,aperfectspecimenofboththeSnail'sworkandtheBee's,deservesdescriptionbeforeanyother。
Foradistanceofthreecentimetres（1。17inches。——Translator'sNote。）fromthemouth,thelastspiralwhorlcontainsnothing。Atthisinconsiderabledepth,apartitionisclearlyseen。ThemoderatediameterofthepassageaccountsfortheAnthidium'schoiceofthissitetowhichoureyecanpenetrate。InthecommonSnail—shell,whosecavitywidensrapidly,theinsectestablishesitselfmuchfartherback,sothat,inordertoseetheterminalpartition,wemust,asI
havesaid,makealateralinlet。Thepositionofthisboundary—
ceiling,whichmaycomefartherforwardorfartherback,dependsonthevariablediameterofthepassage。Thecellsofthecocoonsrequireacertainlengthandacertainbreadth,whichthemotherfindsbygoinghigheruporlowerdowninthespiral,accordingtotheshapeoftheshell。Whenthediameterissuitable,thelastwhorlisoccupieduptotheorifice,wherethefinallidappears,absolutelyexposedtoview。ThisisthecasewiththeadultHelixnemoralisandH。caespitum,andalsowiththeyoungCommonSnail。Wewillnotlingeratpresentoverthispeculiarity,theimportanceofwhichwillbecomemanifestshortly。