Whetherinthefrontoratthebackofthespiralslope,theinsect'sworkendsinafacadeofcoarsemosaic,formedofsmall,angularbitsofgravel,firmlycementedwithagumthenatureofwhichhastobeascertained。Itisanamber—colouredmaterial,semi—transparent,brittle,solubleinspiritsofwineandburningwithasootyflameandastrongsmellofresin。FromthesecharacteristicsitisevidentthattheBeeprepareshergumwiththeresinousdropsexudedbytheConiferae。
　　IthinkthatIamevenabletonametheparticularplant,thoughI
　　havenevercaughttheinsectintheactofgatheringitsmaterials。
　　Hardbythestone—heapswhichIturnoverformycollectionsthereisaplentifulsupplyofbrown—berriedjunipers。Pinesaretotallyabsent;andthecypressonlyappearsoccasionallynearthehouses。
　　Moreover,amongthevegetableremainswhichweshallseeassistingintheprotectionofthenest,weoftenfindthejuniper'scatkinsandneedles。Astheresin—insectiseconomicalofitstimeanddoesnotflyfarfromthequartersfamiliartoit,thegummusthavebeencollectedontheshrubatwhosefootthematerialsforthebarricadehavebeengathered。Noristhismerelyalocalcircumstance,fortheMarseillesnestaboundsinsimilarremnants。Ithereforeregardthejuniperastheregularresin—purveyor,without,however,excludingthepine,thecypressandotherConiferaewhenthefavouriteshrubisabsent。
　　ThebitsofgravelinthelidareangularandchalkyintheMarseillesnest;theyareroundandflintyinmostoftheSerignannests。Inmakinghermosaic,theworkerpaysnoheedtotheformorcolourofitscomponentparts;shecollectsindiscriminatelyanythingthatishardenoughandnottoolarge。Sometimesshelightsupontreasuresthatgiveherworkamoreoriginalcharacter。TheMarseillesnestshowsme,neatlyencrustedamidthebitsofgravel,atinywholelandshell,Pupacineres。AnestinmyownneighbourhoodprovidesmewithaprettySnail—shell,Helixstriata,formingarose—
　　patterninthemiddleofthemosaic。TheselittleartisticdetailsremindmeofacertainnestofEumenesAmadei（AMason—wasp,formingthesubjectofanessaywhichhasnotyetbeenpublishedinEnglish。—
　　—Translator'sNote。）whichaboundsinsmallshells。Ornamentalshell—
　　workappearstonumberitsloversamongtheinsects。
　　Afterthelidofresinandgravel,anentirewhorlofthespiralisoccupiedbyabarricadeofincongruousremnants,similartothatwhich,inthereeds,protectstherowofcocoonsoftheManicateCotton—bee。Itiscurioustoseeexactlythesamedefensivemethodsemployedbytwobuildersofsuchdifferenttalents,oneofwhomhandlesflock,theothergum。ThenestfromMarseilleshasforitsbarricadebitsofchalkygravel,particlesofearth,fragmentsofsticks,afewscrapsofmossandespeciallyjuniper—catkinsandneedles。TheSerignannests,installedinHelixaspersa,havealmostthesameprotectivematerials。Iseebitsofgravel,thesizeofalentil,andthecatkinsandneedlesofthebrown—berriedjuniperpredominating。NextcomethedryexcretionsoftheSnailandafewrarelittleland—shells。Asimilarjumbleofmoreorlesseverythingfoundnearthenestforms,asweknow,thebarricadeoftheManicateCotton—bee,whoisalsoanadeptatusingtheSnail'sstercoraldroppingsafterthesehavebeendriedinthesun。Letusobservefinallythatthesedissimilarmaterialsareheapedtogetherwithoutanycementing,justastheinsecthaspickedthemup。Resinplaysnopartinthemass;andwehaveonlytopiercethelidandturntheshellupsidedownforthebarricadetocomedribblingtotheground。
　　TogluethewholethingtogetherdoesnotenterintotheResin—bee'sscheme。Perhapssuchanexpenditureofgumisbeyondhermeans;
　　perhapsthebarricade,ifhardenedintoasolidblock,wouldafterwardsformaninvincibleobstacletotheescapeoftheyoungsters;perhapsagainthemassofgravelisanaccessoryrampart,runuproughlyasaworkofsecondaryimportance。
　　Amidthesedoubtfulmatters,Iseeatleastthattheinsectdoesnotlookuponitsbarricadeasindispensable。Itemploysitregularlyinthelargeshells,whoselastwhorl,toospacioustobeused,formsanunoccupiedvestibule;itneglectsitinthemoderateshells,suchasHelixnemoralis,inwhichtheresinlidislevelwiththeorifice。Myexcavationsinthestone—heapssupplymewithanalmostequalnumberofnestswithandwithoutdefensiveembankments。AmongtheCotton—
　　bees,theManicateAnthidiumisnotfaithfuleithertoherfortoflittlesticksandstones;Iknowsomeofhernestsinwhichcottonserveseverypurpose。Withbothofthem,thegravelrampartseemsusefulonlyincertaincircumstances,whichIamunabletospecify。
　　Ontheothersideoftheoutworksofthefortification,thelidandbarricade,arethecellssetmoreorlessfardowninthespiral,accordingtothediameteroftheshell。Theyareboundedbackandfrontbypartitionsofpureresin,withoutanyencrustationsofmineralparticles。Theirnumberisexceedinglyrestrictedandisusuallylimitedtotwo。Thefrontroom,whichislargerbecausethewidthofthepassagegoesonincreasing,istheabodeofamale,superiorinsizetotheothersex;thelessspaciousbackroomcontainsafemale。Ihavealreadydrawnattentioninanearlierchaptertothewonderfulproblemsubmittedforourconsiderationbythisbreakingupofthelayingintocouplesandthisalternationofthemalesandfemales。Withoutcallingforotherworkthanthetransversepartitions,thebroadeningstairwayoftheSnail—shellthusfurnishesbothsexeswithhouse—roomsuitedtotheirsize。
　　ThesecondResin—beethatinhabitsshells,Anthidiumbellicosum,hatchesinJulyandworksduringthefierceheatofAugust。Herarchitecturediffersinnowisefromthatofherkinswomanofthespringtime,somuchsothat,whenwefindatenantedSnail—shellinaholeinthewallorunderthestones,itisimpossibletodecidetowhichofthetwospeciesthenestbelongs。TheonlywaytoobtainexactinformationistobreaktheshellandsplitthecocoonsinFebruary,atwhichtimethenestsofthesummerResin—beeareoccupiedbylarvaeandthoseofthespringResin—beebytheperfectinsect。Ifweshrinkfromthisbrutalmethod,wearestillindoubtuntilthecocoonsopen,sogreatistheresemblancebetweenthetwopiecesofwork。
　　Inbothcases,wefindthesamelodging,Snail—shellsofeverysizeandeverykind,justastheyhappentocome;thesameresinlid,theinsidegrittywithtinybitsofstone,theoutsidealmostsmoothandsometimesornamentedwithlittleshells;thesamebarricade——notalwayspresent——ofvariouskindsofrubbish;thesamedivisionintotworoomsofunequalsizeoccupiedbythetwosexes。Everythingisidentical,downtothepurveyorofthegum,thebrown—berriedjuniper。TosaymoreaboutthenestofthesummerResin—beewouldbetorepeatoneself。
　　Thereisonlyonethingthatrequiresfurtherinvestigation。Idonotseethereasonthatpromptsthetwoinsectstoleavethegreaterpartoftheirshellemptyinfront,insteadofoccupyingitentirelyuptotheorificeastheOsmiahabituallydoes。Asthemother'slayingisbrokenupintointermittentshiftsofacoupleofeggsapiece,isitnecessarythatthereshouldbeanewhomeforeachshift？Isthehalf—fluidresinunsuitableforthewide—spannedroofswhichwouldhavetobeconstructedwhenthediameterofthehelicalpassageexceededcertainlimits？IsthegatheringofthecementtoowearisomeatasktoleavetheBeeanystrengthformakingthenumerouspartitionswhichshewouldneedifsheutilizedthespaciousfinalwhorl？Ifindnoanswertothesequestions。Inotethefactwithoutinterpretingit:whentheshellisalargeone,thefrontpart,almostthewholeofthelastwhorl,remainsanemptyvestibule。
　　TothespringResin—bee,Anthidiumseptemdentatum,thislessthanhalfoccupiedlodgingpresentsnodrawbacks。AcontemporaryoftheOsmia,oftenherneighbourunderthesamestone,thegum—workerbuildshernestatthesameperiodasthemud—worker;butthereisnofearofmutualencroachments,forthetwoBees,workingnextdoortoeachother,watchtheirrespectivepropertieswithajealouseye。Ifattemptsatusurpationweretobemade,theowneroftheSnail—shellwouldknowhowtoenforceherrightsasthefirstoccupant。
　　ForthesummerResin—bee,A。bellicosum,theconditionsareverydifferent。AtthemomentwhentheOsmiaisbuilding,sheisstillinthelarval,oratmostinthenymphalstage。Herabode,whichwouldnotbemoreabsolutelysilentifdeserted,hershell,withitsvastuntenantedporch,willnottempttheearlierResin—bee,whoherselfwantsapartmentsrightatthefarendofthespiral,butitmightsuittheOsmia,whoknowshowtofilltheshellwithcellsuptothemouth。ThelastwhorlleftvacantbytheAnthidiumisamagnificentlodgingwhichnothingpreventsthemasonfromoccupying。TheOsmiadoesseizeuponit,infact,anddoessotoooftenforthewelfareoftheunfortunatelate—comer。Thefinalresinlidtakestheplace,fortheOsmia,ofthemudstopperwithwhichshecutsoffatthebacktheportionofthespiraltoonarrowforherlabours。Uponthislidshebuildshermassofcellsinsomanystoreys,afterwhichshecoversthewholewithathickdefensiveplug。Inshort,theworkisconductedasthoughtheSnail—shellcontainednothing。
　　WhenJulyarrives,thisdoubly—tenantedhousebecomesthesceneofatragicconflict。Thosebelow,onattainingtheadultstate,bursttheirswaddling—bands,demolishtheirresinpartitions,passthroughthegravelbarricadeandtrytoreleasethemselves;thoseabove,larvaestillorbuddingpupae,prisonersintheirshellsuntilthefollowingspring,completelyblocktheway。Toforceapassagefromthefar—endofthosecatacombsisbeyondthestrengthoftheResin—
　　bee,alreadyweakenedbytheeffortofbreakingoutofherownnest。
　　AfewoftheOsmia'spartitionsaredamaged,afewcocoonsreceiveslightinjuries;andthen,wornoutwithvainstruggles,thecaptivesabandonhopeandperishbehindtheimpregnablewallofearth。Andwiththemperishalsocertainparasites,evenlessfitfortheprodigiousworkofclearance:ZonitesandChryses（Chrysisflammea）,ofwhomthefirstareconsumersofprovisionsandthesecondofgrubs。
　　ThislamentableendingoftheResin—bee,buriedaliveundertheOsmia'swalls,isnotarareaccidenttobepassedoverinsilenceormentionedinafewwords;onthecontrary,ithappensveryoften;anditsfrequencysuggeststhisthought:theschoolwhichseesininstinctanacquiredhabittreatstheslightestfavourableoccurrenceinthecourseofanimalindustryasthestarting—pointofanimprovementwhich,transmittedbyheredityandbecomingintimemoreandmoreaccentuated,atlastgrowsintoasettledcharacteristiccommontothewholerace。Thereis,itistrue,atotalabsenceofpositiveproofsinsupportofthistheory;butitisstatedwithawealthofhypothesisthatleavesathousandloopholes:'Grantingthat……Supposingthat……Itmaybe……nothingneedpreventusfrombelieving……Itisquitepossible……'Thusarguedthemaster;andthediscipleshavenotyethituponanythingbetter。
　　'Iftheskyweretofall,'saidRabelais,'thelarkswouldallbecaught。'
　　Yes,buttheskystaysup;andthelarksgoonflying。
　　'Ifthingshappenedinsuchandsuchaway,'saysourfriend,'instinctmayhaveundergonevariationsandmodifications。'
　　Yes,butareyouquitesurethatthingshappenedasyousay？
　　Ibanishtheword'if'frommyvocabulary。Isupposenothing,Itakenothingforgranted;Ipluckthebrutalfact,theonlythingthatcanbetrusted;Irecorditandthenaskmyselfwhatconclusionrestsuponitssolidframework。FromthefactwhichIhaverelatedwemaydrawthefollowinginference:
　　'Yousaythatanymodificationprofitabletotheanimalistransmittedthroughoutaseriesoffavouredoneswho,betterequippedwithtools,betterendowedwithaptitudes,abandontheancientusagesandreplacetheprimitivespecies,thevictimofthestruggleforlife。Youdeclarethatonce,inthedimdistanceoftheages,aBeefoundherselfbyaccidentinpossessionofadeadSnail—shell。Thesafeandpeacefullodgingpleasedherfancy。Onandonwentthehereditaryliking;andtheSnail—shellprovedmoreandmoreagreeabletotheinsect'sdescendants,whobegantolookforitunderthestones,sothatlatergenerations,withtheaidofhabit,endedbyadoptingitastheancestraldwelling。Againbyaccident,theBeehappeneduponadropofresin。Itwassoft,plastic,well—suitedforthepartitioningoftheSnail—shell;itsoonhardenedintoasolidceiling。TheBeetriedtheresinousgumandbenefitedbyit。Hersuccessorsalsobenefitedbyit,especiallyafterimprovingit。
　　Littlebylittle,therubble—workofthelidandofthegravelbarricadewasinvented:anenormousimprovement,ofwhichtheracedidnotfailtotakeadvantage。Thedefensivefortificationwasthefinishing—touchtotheoriginalstructure。HerewehavetheoriginanddevelopmentoftheinstinctoftheResin—beeswhomaketheirhomeinSnail—shells。'
　　Thisgloriousgenesisofinsectwaysandmeanslacksjustonelittlething:probability。Lifeeverywhere,evenamongthehumble,hastwophases:itsshareofgoodanditsshareofevil。Avoidingthelatterandseekingtheformeristheroughbalance—sheetoflife'sactions。
　　Animals,likeourselves,havetheirportionofthesweetandthebitter:theyarejustasanxioustoreducethesecondastoincreasethefirst;for,withthemaswithus,Demalheurseviteslebonheursecompose。
　　（Badluckmissedisgoodluckgained。）
　　IftheBeehassofaithfullyhandeddownhercasualinventionofaresinnestbuiltinsideaSnail—shell,thenthereisnodenyingthatshemusthavejustasfaithfullyhandeddownthemeansofavertingtheterribledangerofbelatedhatchings。Afewmothers,escapingatrareintervalsfromthecatacombsblockedbytheOsmiae,musthaveretainedalivelymemory,apowerfulimpressionoftheirdesperatestrugglethroughthemassofearth;theymusthaveinspiredtheirdescendantswithadreadofthosevastdwellingswherethestrangercomesafterwardsandbuilds;theymusthavetaughtthembyhabitthemeansofsafety,theuseofthemedium—sizedshell,whichthenestfillstothemouth。Sofarastheprosperityoftheracewasconcerned,thediscontinuanceofthesystemofemptyvestibuleswasfarmoreimportantthantheinventionofthebarricade,whichisnotaltogetherindispensable:itwouldhavesavedthemfromperishingmiserably,behindimpenetrablewalls,andwouldhaveconsiderablyincreasedthenumbersoftheirposterity。
　　ThousandsandthousandsofexperimentshavebeenmadethroughouttheageswithSnail—shellsofaveragedimensions:thethingiscertain,becauseIfindmanyofthemto—day。Well,havetheselife—savingexperiments,withtheirimmenseimportancetotherace,becomegeneralbyhereditarybequest？Notatall:theResin—beepersistsinusingbigSnail—shellsjustasthoughherancestorshadneverknownthedangeroftheOsmia—blockedvestibule。Oncethesefactsaredulyrecognized,theconclusionisirresistible:itisobviousthat,astheinsectdoesnothanddownthecasualmodificationtendingtowardstheavoidanceofwhatistoitsdisadvantage,neitherdoesithanddownthemodificationleadingtotheadoptionofwhatistoitsadvantage。Howeverlivelytheimpressionmadeuponthemother,theaccidentalleavesnotraceintheoffspring。Chanceplaysnopartinthegenesisoftheinstincts。
　　NexttothesetenantsoftheSnail—shellswehavetwootherResin—
　　beeswhonevercometotheshellsforacabinfortheirnests。TheyareAnthidiumquadrilobum,LEP。,andA。Latreillii,LEP。,bothexceedinglyuncommoninmydistrict。Ifwemeetthemveryrarely,however,thismaywellbeduetothedifficultyofseeingthem;fortheyleadextremelysolitaryandwarylives。Awarmnookundersomestoneorother;thedesertedstreetsofanAnt—hillinasun—bakedbank;aBeetle'svacantburrowafewinchesbelowtheground;inshort,acavityofsomesort,perhapsarrangedbytheBee'sowncare:
　　thesearetheonlyestablishmentswhichIknowthemtooccupy。Andhere,withnoothershelterthanthecoveroftherefuge,theybuildamassofcellsjoinedtogetherandgroupedintoasphere,which,inthecaseoftheFour—lobedResin—bee,attainsthesizeofaman'sfistand,inthatofLatreille'sResin—bee,thesizeofasmallapple。
　　Atfirstsight,weremainveryuncertainastothenatureofthestrangeball。Itisbrown,ratherhard,slightlysticky,withabituminoussmell。Outsideareencrustedafewbitsofgravel,particlesofearth,headsoflarge—sizedAnts。Thiscannibaltrophyisnotasignofbarbarouscustoms:theBeedoesnotdecapitateAntstoadornherhut。Aninlayer,likehercolleaguesoftheSnail—shell,shegathersanyhardgranulenearathandcapableofstrengtheningherwork;andthedriedskullsofAnts,whicharefrequentaroundaboutherabode,areinhereyesbuilding—stonesofequalvaluetothepebbles。Oneandallemploywhatevertheycanfindwithoutmuchseeking。Theinhabitantoftheshell,inordertoconstructherbarricade,makesshiftwiththedryexcrementofthenearestSnail;
　　thedenizenoftheflatstonesandoftheroadsidebanksfrequentedbytheAntsdoeswhatshecanwiththeheadsofthedefunctand,shouldthesebelacking,isreadytoreplacethemwithsomethingelse。Moreover,thedefensiveinlayingisslight;weseethattheinsectattachesnogreatimportancetoitandhaseveryconfidenceinthestoutwallofthehome。
　　Thematerialofwhichtheworkismadeatfirstsuggestssomerusticwax,muchcoarserthanthatoftheBumble—bees,orrathersometarofunknownorigin。Wethinkagainandthenrecognizeinthepuzzlingsubstancethesemitransparentfracture,thequalityofbecomingsoftwhenexposedtoheatandofburningwithasmokyflame,thesolubilityinspiritsofwine——inshort,allthedistinguishingcharacteristicsofresin。HerethenaretwomorecollectorsoftheexudationsoftheConiferae。AtthepointswhereIfindtheirnestsareAleppopines,cypresses,brown—berriedjunipersandcommonjunipers。Whichofthefoursuppliesthemastic？Thereisnothingtotellus。Noristhereanythingtoexplainhowthenativeamber—colouroftheresinisreplacedintheworkofbothBeesbyadark—brownhueresemblingthatofpitch。Doestheinsectcollectresinimpairedbytheweather,soiledbythesaniesofrottenwood？Whenkneadingit,doesitmixsomedarkingredientwithit？Ilookuponthisaspossible,butnotasproved,sinceIhaveneverseentheBeecollectingherresin。
　　Whilethispointescapesme,anotherofhigherinterestappearsmostplainly;andthatisthelargeamountofresinousmaterialusedinasinglenest,especiallyinthatofAnthidiumquadrilobum,inwhichI
　　havecountedasmanyastwelvecells。ThenestoftheMason—beeofthePebblesishardlymoremassive。Forsocostlyanestablishment,therefore,theResin—beecollectsherpitchonthedeadpineascopiouslyastheMason—beecollectshermortaronthemacadamizedroad。HerworkshopnolongershowsustheniggardlypartitioningofaSnail—shellwithtwoorthreedropsofresin;whatweseeisthewholebuildingofthehouse,fromthebasementtotheroof,fromthethickouterwallstothepartitionsoftherooms。ThecementexpendedwouldbeenoughtodividehundredsofSnail—shells,whereforethetitleofResin—beeisduefirstandforemosttothismaster—builderinpitch。HonourablementionshouldbeawardedtoA。Latreillii,whorivalsherfellow—workerasfarashersmallerstaturepermits。Theothermanipulatorsofresin,thosewhobuildpartitionsinSnail—
　　shells,comethird,averylongwaybehind。
　　Andnow,withthefactstosupportus,letusphilosophizealittle。
　　Wehavehere,recognizedasofexcellentstandardbyalltheexpertclassifiers,sofastidiousinthearrangementoftheirlists,agenericgroup,calledAnthidium,containingtwoguildsofworkersentirelydissimilarincharacter:thecotton—fullersandtheresin—
　　kneaders。Itisevenpossiblethatotherspecies,whentheirhabitsarebetterknown,willcomeandincreasethisvarietyofmanufactures。IconfinemyselftothelittlethatIknowandaskmyselfinwhatthemanipulatorofcottondiffersfromthemanipulatorofresinasregardstools,thatistosay,organs。Certainly,whenthegenusAnthidiumwassetdownbytheclassifiers,theywerenotwantinginscientificprecision:theyconsulted,underthelensofthemicroscope,thewings,themandibles,thelegs,theharvesting—
　　brush,inshort,allthedetailscalculatedtoassisttheproperdelimitationofthegroup。Afterthisminuteexaminationbytheexperts,ifnoorganicdifferencesstandrevealed,thereasonisthattheydonotexist。Anydissimilarityofstructurecouldnotescapetheaccurateeyesofourlearnedtaxonomists。Thegenus,therefore,isindeedorganicallyhomogeneous;butindustriallyitisthoroughlyheterogeneous。Theimplementsarethesameandtheworkisdifferent。
　　ThateminentBordeauxentomologist,ProfessorJeanPerez,towhomI
　　communicatedthemisgivingsarousedinmymindbythecontradictorynatureofmydiscoveries,thinksthathehasfoundthesolutionofthedifficultyintheconformationofthemandibles。Iextractthefollowingpassagefromhisvolume,"LesAbeilles":
　　'Thecotton—pressingfemaleshavetheedgeoftheirmandiblescutoutintofiveorsixlittleteeth,whichmakeaninstrumentadmirablysuitedforscrapingandremovingthehairsfromtheepidermisoftheplants。Itisasortofcomborteasel。Theresin—kneadingfemaleshavetheedgeofthemandiblenottoothed,butsimplycurved;thetipalone,precededbyanotchwhichisprettyclearlymarkedinsomespecies,formsarealtooth;butthistoothisbluntanddoesnotproject。Themandible,inshort,isakindofspoonperfectlyfittedtoremovethestickymatterandtoshapeitintoaball。'
　　Nothingbettercouldbesaidtoexplainthetwosortsofindustry:intheonecase,arakewhichgathersthewool;intheother,aspoonwhichscoopsuptheresin。Ishouldhaveleftitatthatandfeltquitecontentwithoutfurtherinvestigation,ifIhadnothadthecuriositytoopenmyboxesand,inmyturn,totakeagoodlook,sidebyside,attheworkersincementandtheworkersincotton。Allowme,mylearnedmaster,towhisperinyourearwhatIsaw。
　　ThefirstthatIexamineisAnthidiumseptemdentatum。Aspoon:yes,itisjustthat。Powerfulmandibles,shapedlikeanisoscelestriangle,flatabove,hollowedoutbelow;andnoindentations,nonewhatsoever。Asplendidtool,asyousay,forgatheringtheviscouspellet;quiteasefficaciousinitskindofworkasistherakeofthetoothedmandiblesforgatheringcotton。Herecertainlyisacreaturepotently—gifted,eventhoughitbeforapoorlittletask,thescoopingupoftwoorthreedropsofglue。
　　ThingsarenotquitesosatisfactorywiththesecondResin—beeoftheSnail—shells,A。bellicosum。Ifindthatshehasthreeteethtohermandibles。Still,theyareslightandprojectverylittle。Letussaythatthisdoesnotcount,eventhoughtheworkisexactlythesame。
　　WithA。quadrilobumthewholethingbreaksdown。She,thequeenofResin—bees;she,whocollectsalumpofmasticthesizeofone'sfist,enoughtosubdividehundredsofherkinswomen'sSnail—shells:
　　well,she,bywayofaspoon,carriesarake！Onthewideedgesofhermandiblesstandfourteeth,aslongandpointedasthoseofthemostzealouscotton—gleaner。A。florentinum,thatmightymanufacturerofcotton—goods,canhardlyrivalherinrespectofcombing—tools。
　　Andnevertheless,withhertoothedimplement,asortofsaw,theResin—beecollectshergreatheapofpitch,loadbyload;andthematerialiscarriednotrigid,butsticky,half—fluid,sothatitmayamalgamatewiththepreviouslotsandbefashionedintocells。
　　A。Latreillii,withouthavingaverylargeimplement,alsobearswitnesstothepossibilityofheapingupsoftresinwitharake;shearmshermandibleswiththreeorfoursharply—cutteeth。Inshort,outoffourResin—bees,theonlyfourthatIknow,oneisarmedwithaspoon,ifthisexpressionbereallysuitedtothetool'sfunction;
　　thethreeothersarearmedwitharake;anditsohappensthatthemostcopiousheapofresinisjusttheworkoftherakewiththemostteethtoit,atoolsuitedtothecotton—reapers,accordingtotheviewsoftheBordeauxentomologicalexpert。
　　No,theexplanationthatappealedtomesomuchatfirstisnotadmissible。Themandible,whethersuppliedwithteethornot,doesnotaccountatallforthetwomanufactures。Maywe,inthispredicament,haverecoursetothegeneralstructureoftheinsect,althoughthisisnotdistinctiveenoughtobeofmuchusetous？Notsoeither;for,inthesamestone—heapswheretheOsmiaandthetwoResin—beesoftheSnail—shellswork,IfindfromtimetotimeanothermanipulatorofmasticwhobearsnostructuralrelationshipwhatevertothegenusAnthidium。Itisasmall—sizedMason—wasp,Odynerusalpestris,SAUSS。ShebuildsaveryprettynestwithresinandgravelintheshellsoftheyoungCommonSnail,ofHelixnemoralisandsometimesofBulimulusradiatus。Iwilldescribehermasterpieceonsomeotheroccasion。TooneacquaintedwiththegenusOdynerus,anycomparisonwiththeAnthidiawouldbeaninexcusableerror。Inlarvaldiet,inshape,inhabits,theyformtwodissimilargroups,veryfarremovedonefromtheother。TheAnthidiafeedtheiroffspringonhoney—bread;theOdynerifeeditonliveprey。Well,withherslenderform,herweaklyframe,inwhichthemostclear—seeingeyewouldseekinvainforacluetothetradepractised,theAlpineOdynerus,thegame—lover,usespitchinthesamewayasthestoutandmassiveResin—bee,thehoney—lover。Sheevenusesitbetter,forhermosaicoftinypebblesismuchprettierthantheBee'sandnolesssolid。
　　Withhermandibles,thistimeneitherspoonnorrake,butratheralongforcepsslightlynotchedatthetip,shegathersherdropofstickymatterasdexterouslyasdoherrivalswiththeirverydifferentoutfit。Hercasewill,Ithink,persuadeusthatneithertheshapeofthetoolnortheshapeoftheworkercanexplaintheworkdone。
　　Iwillgofurther:Iaskmyselfinvainthereasonofthisorthattradeinthecaseofafixedspecies。TheOsmiaemaketheirpartitionswithmudorwithapasteofchewedleaves;theMason—beesbuildwithcement;thePelopaeus—waspsfashionclaypots;theMegachilesmadediskscutfromleavesintourns;theAnthidiafeltcottonintopurses;theResin—beescementtogetherlittlebitsofgravelwithgum;theCarpenter—beesandtheLithurgiboreholesintimber;theAnthophoraetunneltheroadsideslopes。Whyallthesedifferenttrades,tosaynothingoftheothers？Howaretheyprescribedfortheinsect,thisoneratherthanthat？
　　Iforeseetheanswer:theyareprescribedbytheorganization。Aninsectexcellentlyequippedforgatheringandfeltingcottonisill—
　　equippedforcuttingleaves,kneadingmudormixingresin。Thetoolinitspossessiondecidesitstrade。
　　Thisisaverysimpleexplanation,Iadmit,andonewithinthescopeofeverybody:initselfasufficientrecommendationforanyonewhohasneithertheinclinationnorthetimetoundertakeamorethoroughinvestigation。Thepopularityofcertainspeculativeviewsisdueentirelytotheeasyfoodwhichtheyprovideforourcuriosity。Theysaveusmuchlongandoftenirksomestudy;theyimpartaveneerofgeneralknowledge。Thereisnothingthatachievessuchimmediatesuccessasanexplanationoftheriddleoftheuniverseinawordortwo。Thethinkerdoesnottravelsofast:contenttoknowlittlesothathemayknowsomething,helimitshisfieldofsearchandissatisfiedwithascantyharvest,providedthatthegrainbeofgoodquality。Beforeagreeingthatthetooldeterminesthetrade,hewantstoseethingswithhisowneyes;andwhatheobservesisfarfromconfirmingthesweepingstatement。Letussharehisdoubtsforamomentandlookintomattersmoreclosely。
　　Franklinleftusamaximwhichismuchtothepointhere。Hesaidthatagoodworkmanshouldbeabletoplanewithasawandtosawwithaplane。TheinsectistoogoodaworkmannottofollowtheadviceofthesageofBoston。Itsindustryaboundsininstanceswheretheplanetakestheplaceofthesaw,orthesawoftheplane;itsdexteritymakesgoodtheinadequacyoftheimplement。Togonofurther,havewenotjustseendifferentartisanscollectingandusingpitch,somewithspoons,otherswithrakes,othersagainwithpincers？Therefore,withsuchequipmentasitpossesses,theinsectwouldbecapableofabandoningcottonforleaves,leavesforresin,resinformortar,ifsomepredispositionoftalentdidnotmakeitkeeptoitsspeciality。