Theinsectnationisrepresentedattheseritesbyafewofitsmorezealousmembers。ThereisfirstofalltheHoney—bee,theswornenemyofstrikes,whoprofitsbytheleastlullofwintertofindoutifsomerosemaryisnotbeginningtoopensomewherenearthehive。Thedroningofthebusyswarmfillsthefloweryvault,whileasnowofpetalsfallssoftlytothefootofthetree。
Togetherwiththepopulationofharvestersthereminglesanother,lessnumerous,ofmeredrinkers,whosenesting—timehasnotyetbegun。ThisisthecolonyoftheOsmiae,withtheircopper—colouredskinandbright—redfleece。Twospecieshavecomehurryinguptotakepartinthejoysofthealmond—tree:first,theHornedOsmia,cladinblackvelvetontheheadandbreastandinredvelvetontheabdomen;
and,alittlelater,theThree—hornedOsmia,whoseliverymustberedandredonly。Thesearethefirstdelegatesdespatchedbythepollen—
gleanerstoascertainthestateoftheseasonandattendthefestivaloftheearlyblooms。'Tisbutamomentsincetheybursttheircocoon,thewinterabode:theyhavelefttheirretreatsinthecrevicesoftheoldwalls;shouldthenorthwindblowandsetthealmond—treeshivering,theywillhastentoreturntothem。Hailtoyou,OmydearOsmiae,whoyearly,fromthefarendoftheharmas（Thepieceofwastegroundinwhichtheauthorstudiedhisinsectsintheirnaturalstate。Cf。"TheLifeoftheFly"byJ。HenriFabre,translatedbyAlexanderTeixeiradeMattos:chapter1。——Translator'sNote。）,oppositesnow—cappedVentoux（AmountainintheProvencalAlps,nearCarpentrasandSerignan,6,271feet。——Translator'sNote。）,bringmethefirsttidingsoftheawakeningoftheinsectworld！Iamoneofyourfriends;letustalkaboutyoualittle。
MostoftheOsmiaeofmyregionhavenoneoftheindustryoftheirkinswomenofthebrambles,thatistosay,theydonotthemselvespreparethedwellingdestinedforthelaying。Theywantready—madelodgings,suchastheoldcellsandoldgalleriesofAnthophoraeandChalicodomae。Ifthesefavouritehauntsarelacking,thenahiding—
placeinthewall,aroundholeinsomebitofwood,thetubeofareed,thespiralofadeadSnailunderaheapofstonesareadopted,accordingtothetastesoftheseveralspecies。Theretreatselectedisdividedintochambersbypartition—walls,afterwhichtheentrancetothedwellingreceivesamassiveseal。Thatisthesum—totalofthebuildingdone。
Forthisplasterer'sratherthanmason'swork,theHornedandtheThree—hornedOsmiaemploysoftearth。ThismaterialisdifferentfromtheMason—bee'scement,whichwillwithstandwindandweatherformanyyearsonanexposedpebble;itisasortofdriedmud,whichturnstopapontheadditionofadropofwater。TheMason—beegathershercementing—dustinthemostfrequentedanddriestportionsoftheroad;shewetsitwithasalivawhich,indrying,givesittheconsistencyofstone。ThetwoOsmiaewhoarethealmond—tree'searlyvisitorsarenochemists:theyknownothingofthemakingandmixingofhydraulicmortar;theylimitthemselvestogatheringnaturalsoakedearth,mudinshort,whichtheyallowtodrywithoutanyspecialpreparationontheirpart;andsotheyneeddeepandwell—
shelteredretreats,intowhichtheraincannotpenetrate,ortheworkwouldfalltopieces。
Whileexploiting,infriendlyrivalrywiththeThree—hornedOsmia,thegallerieswhichtheMason—beeoftheShedsgood—naturedlysurrenderstoboth,Latreille'sOsmiausesdifferentmaterialsforherpartitionsandherdoors。Shechewstheleavesofsomemucilaginousplant,somemallowperhaps,andthenpreparesasortofgreenputtywithwhichshebuildsherpartitionsandfinallyclosestheentrancetothedwelling。WhenshesettlesinthespaciouscellsoftheMaskedAnthophora（Anthophorapersonata,ILLIG。）,theentrancetothegallery,whichiswideenoughtoadmitone'sfinger,isclosedwithavoluminousplugofthisvegetablepaste。Ontheearthybanks,hardenedbythesun,thehomeisthenbetrayedbythegaudycolourofthelid。Itisasthoughtheauthoritieshadclosedthedoorandaffixedtoittheirgreatsealsofgreenwax。
Sofarthenastheirbuilding—materialsareconcerned,theOsmiaewhomIhavebeenabletoobservearedividedintotwoclasses:onebuildingcompartmentswithmud,theotherwithagreen—tintedvegetableputty。ThefirstsectionincludestheHornedOsmiaandtheThree—hornedOsmia,bothsoremarkableforthehornytuberclesontheirfaces。
Thegreatreedofthesouth,theArundodonax,isoftenused,inthecountry,forroughgarden—sheltersagainstthemistralorjustforfences。Thesereeds,theendsofwhicharechoppedofftomakethemallthesamelength,areplantedperpendicularlyintheearth。IhaveoftenexploredtheminthehopeoffindingOsmia—nests。Mysearchhasveryseldomsucceeded。Thefailureiseasilyexplained。Thepartitionsandtheclosing—plugoftheHornedandoftheThree—hornedOsmiaaremade,aswehaveseen,ofasortofmudwhichwaterinstantlyreducestopap。Withtheuprightpositionofthereeds,thestopperoftheopeningwouldreceivetherainandwouldbecomediluted;theceilingsofthestoreyswouldfallinandthefamilywouldperishbydrowning。ThereforetheOsmia,whoknewofthesedrawbacksbeforeIdid,refusesthereedswhentheyareplacedperpendicularly。
Thesamereedisusedforasecondpurpose。Wemakecanissesofit,thatistosay,hurdles,which,inspring,servefortherearingofsilk—wormsand,inautumn,forthedryingoffigs。AttheendofAprilandduringMay,whichisthetimewhentheOsmiaework,thecanissesareindoors,inthesilk—wormnurseries,wheretheBeecannottakepossessionofthem;inautumn,theyareoutside,exposingtheirlayersoffigsandpeeledpeachestothesun;butbythattimetheOsmiaehavelongdisappeared。If,however,duringthespring,anold,disusedhurdleisleftoutofdoors,inahorizontalposition,theThree—hornedOsmiaoftentakespossessionofitandmakesuseofthetwoends,wherethereedslietruncatedandopen。
ThereareotherquartersthatsuittheThree—hornedOsmia,whoisnotparticular,itseemstome,andwillmakeshiftwithanyhiding—
place,solongasithastherequisiteconditionsofdiameter,solidity,sanitationandkindlydarkness。ThemostoriginaldwellingsthatIknowhertooccupyaredisusedSnail—shells,especiallythehouseoftheCommonSnail（Helixaspersa）。Letusgototheslopeofthehillsthickwitholive—treesandinspectthelittlesupporting—
wallswhicharebuiltofdrystonesandfacethesouth。Inthecrevicesofthisinsecuremasonry,weshallreapaharvestofoldSnail—shells,pluggedwithearthrightuptotheorifice。ThefamilyoftheThree—hornedOsmiaissettledinthespiralofthoseshells,whichissubdividedintochambersbymudpartitions。
Letusinspectthestone—heaps,especiallythosewhichcomefromthequarry—works。HereweoftenfindtheField—mousesittingonagrassmattress,nibblingacorns,almonds,olive—stonesandapricot—stones。
TheRodentvarieshisdiet:tooilyandfarinaceousfoodsheaddstheSnail。Whenheisgone,hehasleftbehindhim,undertheoverhangingstones,mixedupwiththeremainsofothervictuals,anassortmentofemptyshells,sometimesplentifulenoughtoremindmeoftheheapofSnailswhich,cookedwithspinachandeatencountry—fashiononChristmasEve,areflungawaynextdaybythehousewife。ThisgivestheThree—hornedOsmiaahandsomecollectionoftenements;andshedoesnotfailtoprofitbythem。Thenagain,eveniftheField—
mouse'sconchologicalmuseumbelacking,thesamebrokenstonesserveasarefugeforGarden—snailswhocometolivethereandendbydyingthere。WhenweseeThree—hornedOsmiaeenterthecrevicesofoldwallsandofstone—heaps,thereisnodoubtabouttheiroccupation:
theyaregettingfreelodgingsoutoftheoldSnail—shellsofthoselabyrinths。
TheHornedOsmia,whoislesscommon,mighteasilyalsobelessingenious,thatistosay,lessrichinvarietiesofhouses。Sheseemstoscornemptyshells。TheonlyhomesthatIknowhertoinhabitarethereedsofthehurdlesandthedesertedcellsoftheMaskedAnthophora。
AlltheotherOsmiaewhosemethodofnest—buildingIknowworkwithgreenputty,apastemadeofsomecrushedleaforother;andnoneofthem,exceptLatreille'sOsmia,isprovidedwiththehornedortubercledarmourofthemud—kneaders。Ishouldliketoknowwhatplantsareusedinmakingtheputty;probablyeachspecieshasitsownpreferencesanditslittleprofessionalsecrets;buthithertoobservationhastaughtmenothingconcerningthesedetails。Whateverworkerprepareit,theputtyisverymuchthesameinappearance。
Whenfresh,itisalwaysacleardarkgreen。Later,especiallyinthepartsexposedtotheair,itchanges,nodoubtthroughfermentation,tothecolourofdeadleaves,tobrown,todull—yellow;andtheleafycharacterofitsoriginisnolongerapparent。Butuniformityinthematerialsemployedmustnotleadustobelieveinuniformityinthelodging;onthecontrary,thislodgingvariesgreatlywiththedifferentspecies,thoughthereisamarkedpredilectioninfavourofemptyshells。ThusLatreille'sOsmia,togetherwiththeThree—hornedOsmia,usesthespaciousstructuresoftheMason—beeoftheSheds;
shelikesthemagnificentcellsoftheMaskedAnthophora;andsheisalwaysreadytoestablishherselfinthecylinderofanyreedlyingflatontheground。
IhavealreadyspokenofanOsmia（O。cyanoxantha,PEREZ）whoelectstomakeherhomeintheoldnestsoftheMason—beeofthePebbles。
（Cf。"TheMason—bees":chapter10。——Translator'sNote。）Herclosing—
plugismadeofastoutconcrete,consistingoffair—sizedbitsofgravelsunkinthegreenpaste;butfortheinnerpartitionssheemploysonlyunalloyedputty。Astheouterdoor,situatedonthecurveofanunprotecteddome,isexposedtotheinclemenciesoftheweather,themotherhastothinkoffortifyingit。Danger,nodoubt,istheoriginatorofthatgrittyconcrete。
TheGoldenOsmia（O。aurulenta,LATR。）absolutelyinsistsonanemptySnail—shellasherresidence。TheBrownorGirdledSnail,theGardenSnailandespeciallytheCommonSnail,whohasamorespaciousspiral,allscatteredatrandominthegrass,atthefootofthewallsandofthesun—sweptrocks,furnishherwithherusualdwelling—house。Herdriedputtyisakindoffeltfullofshortwhitehairs。Itmustcomefromsomehairy—leavedplant,oneoftheBoragineaeperhaps,richbothinmucilageandthenecessarybristles。
TheRedOsmia（O。rufo—hirta,LATR。）hasaweaknessfortheBrownSnailandtheGardenSnail,inwhoseshellsIfindhertakingrefugeinAprilwhenthenorth—windblows。Iamnotyetmuchacquaintedwithherwork,whichshouldresemblethatoftheGoldenOsmia。
TheGreenOsmia（O。viridana,MORAWITZ）takesupherquarters,tinycreaturethatsheis,inthespiralstaircaseofBulimulusradiatus。
Itisaveryelegant,butverysmalllodging,tosaynothingofthefactthataconsiderableportionistakenupwiththegreen—puttyplug。Thereisjustroomfortwo。
TheAndrenoidOsmia（O。andrenoides,LATR。）,wholookssocurious,withhernakedredabdomen,appearstobuildhernestintheshelloftheCommonSnail,whereIdiscoverherrefuged。
TheVariegatedOsmia（O。versicolor,LATR。）settlesintheGardenSnail'sshell,almostrightatthebottomofthespiral。
TheBlueOsmia（O。cyanea,KIRB。）seemstometoacceptmanydifferentquarters。IhaveextractedherfromoldnestsoftheMason—
beeofthePebbles,fromthegalleriesduginaroadsidebankbytheColletes（Ashort—tonguedBurrowing—beeknownalsoastheMelitta。——
Translator'sNote。）andlastlyfromthecavitiesmadebysomediggerorotherinthedecayedtrunkofawillow—tree。
Morawitz'Osmia（O。Morawitzi,PEREZ）isnotuncommonintheoldnestsoftheMason—beeofthePebbles,butIsuspectheroffavouringotherlodgingsbesides。
TheThree—prongedOsmia（O。tridentata,DUF。andPER。）createsahomeofherown,diggingherselfachannelwithhermandiblesindrybrambleandsometimesindanewort。Itmixesafewscrapingsofperforatedpithwiththegreenpaste。ItshabitsaresharedbytheRaggedOsmia（O。detrita,PEREZ）andbytheTinyOsmia（O。parvula,DUF。）
TheChalicodomaworksinbroaddaylight,onatile,onapebble,onabranchinthehedge;noneofhertrade—practisesiskeptasecretfromtheobserver'scuriosity。TheOsmialovesmystery。Shewantsadarkretreat,hiddenfromtheeye。Iwouldlike,nevertheless,towatchherintheprivacyofherhomeandtowitnessherworkwiththesamefacilityasifshewerenest—buildingintheopenair。Perhapstherearesomeinterestingcharacteristicstobepickedupinthedepthsofherretreats。Itremainstobeseenwhethermywishcanberealized。
Whenstudyingtheinsect'smentalcapacity,especiallyitsveryretentivememoryforplaces,Iwasledtoaskmyselfwhetheritwouldnotbepossibletomakeasuitably—chosenBeebuildinanyplacethatIwished,eveninmystudy。AndIwanted,foranexperimentofthissort,notanindividualbutanumerouscolony。MypreferenceleanttowardstheThree—hornedOsmia,whoisveryplentifulinmyneighbourhood,where,togetherwithLatreille'sOsmia,shefrequentsinparticularthemonstrousnestsoftheChalicodomaoftheSheds。I
thereforethoughtoutaschemeformakingtheThree—hornedOsmiaacceptmystudyashersettlementandbuildhernestsinglasstubes,throughwhichIcouldeasilywatchtheprogress。Tothesecrystalgalleries,whichmightwellinspireacertaindistrust,weretobeaddedmorenaturalretreats:reedsofeverylengthandthicknessanddisusedChalicodoma—cellstakenfromamongthebiggestandthesmallest。Aschemelikethissoundsmad。Iadmitit,whilementioningthatperhapsnoneeversucceededsowellwithme。Weshallseeasmuchpresently。
Mymethodisextremelysimple。AllIaskisthatthebirthofmyinsects,thatistosay,theirfirstseeingthelight,theiremergingfromthecocoon,shouldtakeplaceonthespotwhereIproposetomakethemsettle。Heretheremustberetreatsofnomatterwhatnature,butofashapesimilartothatinwhichtheOsmiadelights。
Thefirstimpressionsofsight,whicharethemostlong—livedofany,shallbringbackmyinsectstotheplaceoftheirbirth。AndnotonlywilltheOsmiaereturn,throughthealwaysopenwindows,buttheywillalwaysnidifyonthenatalspotiftheyfindsomethinglikethenecessaryconditions。
Andso,allthroughthewinter,IcollectOsmia—cocoons,pickedupinthenestsoftheMason—beeoftheSheds;IgotoCarpentrastogleanamoreplentifulsupplyinthenestsoftheHairy—footedAnthophora,thatoldacquaintancewhosewonderfulcitiesIusedtounderminewhenIwasstudyingthehistoryoftheOil—beetles。（ThisstudyisnotyettranslatedintoEnglish;butcf。"TheLifeoftheFly":chapters2
and4。——Translator'sNote。）Later,atmyrequest,apupilandintimatefriendofmine,M。HenriDevillario,presidentofthecivilcourtatCarpentras,sendsmeacaseoffragmentsbrokenoffthebanksfrequentedbytheHairy—footedAnthophoraandtheAnthophoraoftheWalls,usefulclodswhichfurnishahandsomeadjuncttomycollection。Indeed,attheend,IfindmyselfwithhandfulsofcocoonsoftheThree—hornedOsmia。Tocountthemwouldwearymypatiencewithoutservinganyparticularpurpose。
Ispreadoutmystockinalargeopenboxonatablewhichreceivesabrightdiffusedlightbutnotthedirectraysofthesun。Thetablestandsbetweentwowindowsfacingsouthandoverlookingthegarden。
Whenthemomentofhatchingcomes,thosetwowindowswillalwaysremainopentogivetheswarmentirelibertytogoinandoutasitpleases。Theglasstubesandthereed—stumpsarelaidhereandthere,infinedisorder,closetotheheapofcocoonsandallinahorizontalposition,fortheOsmiawillhavenothingtodowithuprightreeds。ThehatchingofsomeoftheOsmiaewillthereforetakeplaceundercoverofthegalleriesdestinedtobethebuilding—yardlater;andthesitewillbeallthemoredeeplyimpressedontheirmemory。WhenIhavemadethesecomprehensivearrangements,thereisnothingmoretobedone;andIwaitpatientlyforthebuilding—seasontoopen。
MyOsmiaeleavetheircocoonsinthesecondhalfofApril。Undertheimmediateraysofthesun,inwell—shelterednooks,thehatchingwouldoccuramonthearlier,aswecanseefromthemixedpopulationofthesnowyalmond—tree。Theconstantshadeinmystudyhasdelayedtheawakening,without,however,makinganychangeinthenesting—
period,whichsynchronizeswiththefloweringofthethyme。Wenowhave,aroundmyworking—table,mybooks,myjarsandmyvariousappliances,abuzzingcrowdthatgoesinandoutofthewindowsateverymoment。Ienjointhehouseholdhenceforthnottotouchathingintheinsects'laboratory,todonomoresweeping,nomoredusting。
Theymightdisturbtheswarmandmakeitthinkthatmyhospitalitywasnottobetrusted。Isuspectthatthemaid,woundedinherself—
esteematseeingsomuchdustaccumulatinginthemaster'sstudy,didnotalwaysrespectmyprohibitionsandcameinstealthily,nowandagain,togivealittlesweepofthebroom。Atanyrate,IcameacrossanumberofOsmiaewhoseemedtohavebeencrushedunderfootwhiletakingasunbathonthefloorinfrontofthewindow。PerhapsitwasImyselfwhocommittedthemisdeedinaheedlessmoment。Thereisnogreatharmdone,forthepopulationisanumerousone;and,notwithstandingthosecrushedbyinadvertence,notwithstandingtheparasiteswherewithmanyofthecocoonsareinfested,notwithstandingthosewhomayhavecometogriefoutsideorbeenunabletofindtheirwayback,notwithstandingthedeductionofone—halfwhichwemustmakeforthemales:notwithstandingallthis,duringfourorfiveweeksIwitnesstheworkofanumberofOsmiaewhichismuchtoolargetoallowofmywatchingtheirindividualoperations。Icontentmyselfwithafew,whomImarkwithdifferent—colouredspotstodistinguishthem;andItakenonoticeoftheothers,whosefinishedworkwillhavemyattentionlater。
Thefirsttoappeararethemales。Ifthesunisbright,theyflutteraroundtheheapoftubesasiftotakecarefulnoteofthelocality;
blowsareexchangedandtherivalswainsindulgeinmildskirmishingonthefloor,thenshakethedustofftheirwingsandflyaway。I
findthem,oppositemywindow,intherefreshment—barofthelilac—
bush,whosebranchesbendwiththeweightoftheirscentedpanicles。
HeretheBeesgetdrunkwithsunshineanddraughtsofhoney。Thosewhohavehadtheirfillcomehomeandflyassiduouslyfromtubetotube,placingtheirheadsintheorificestoseeifsomefemalewillatlastmakeuphermindtoemerge。
Onedoes,inpointoffact。Sheiscoveredwithdustandhasthedisorderedtoiletthatisinseparablefromthehardworkofthedeliverance。Aloverhasseenher,sohasasecond,likewiseathird。
Allcrowdroundher。Theladyrespondstotheiradvancesbyclashinghermandibles,whichopenandshutrapidly,severaltimesinsuccession。Thesuitorsforthwithfallback;andtheyalso,nodoubttokeepuptheirdignity,executesavagemandibulargrimaces。Thenthebeautyretiresintothearbourandherwooersresumetheirplacesonthethreshold。Afreshappearanceofthefemale,whorepeatstheplaywithherjaws;afreshretreatofthemales,whodothebesttheycantoflourishtheirownpincers。TheOsmiaehaveastrangewayofdeclaringtheirpassion:withthatfearsomegnashingoftheirmandibles,theloverslookasthoughtheymeanttodevoureachother。
Itsuggeststhethumpsaffectedbyouryokelsintheirmomentsofgallantry。
Theingeniousidyllissoonover。Byturnsgreetingandgreetedwithaclashofjaws,thefemaleleaveshergalleryandbeginsimpassivelytopolishherwings。Therivalsrushforward,hoistthemselvesontopofoneanotherandformapyramidofwhicheachstrugglestooccupythebasebytopplingoverthefavouredlover。He,however,iscarefulnottoletgo;hewaitsforthestrifeoverheadtocalmdown;and,whenthesupernumerariesrealizethattheyarewastingtheirtimeandthrowupthegame,thecoupleflyawayfarfromtheturbulentrivals。
ThisisallthatIhavebeenabletogatherabouttheOsmia'snuptials。
Thefemales,whogrowmorenumerousfromdaytoday,inspectthepremises;theybuzzoutsidetheglassgalleriesandthereeddwellings;theygoin,stayforawhile,comeout,goinagainandthenflyawaybrisklyintothegarden。Theyreturn,firstone,thenanother。Theyhaltoutside,inthesun,ontheshuttersfastenedbackagainstthewall;theyhoverinthewindow—recess,comeinside,gotothereedsandgiveaglanceatthem,onlytosetoffagainandtoreturnsoonafter。Thusdotheylearntoknowtheirhome,thusdotheyfixtheirbirthplaceintheirmemory。Thevillageofourchildhoodisalwaysacherishedspot,nevertobeeffacedfromourrecollection。TheOsmia'slifeenduresforamonth;andsheacquiresalastingremembranceofherhamletinacoupleofdays。'Twastherethatshewasborn;'twastherethatsheloved;'tistherethatshewillreturn。DulcesreminisciturArgos。
（'Nowfallingbyanother'swound,hiseyesHecaststoheaven,onArgosthinksanddies。'
——"Aeneid,"Book10Dryden'stranslation。）
Atlasteachhasmadeherchoice。Theworkofconstructionbegins;
andmyexpectationsarefulfilledfarbeyondmywishes。TheOsmiaebuildnestsinalltheretreatswhichIhaveplacedattheirdisposal。Theglasstubes,whichIcoverwithasheetofpapertoproducetheshadeandmysteryfavourabletoconcentratedtoil,dowonderfullywell。All,fromfirsttolast,areoccupied。TheOsmiaequarrelforthepossessionofthesecrystalpalaces,hithertounknowntotheirrace。Thereedsandthepapertubeslikewisedowonderfully。
Thenumberprovidedistoosmall;andIhastentoincreaseit。Snail—
shellsarerecognizedasexcellentabodes,thoughdeprivedoftheshelterofthestone—heap;oldChalicodoma—nests,downtothoseoftheChalicodomaoftheShrubs（Cf。"TheMason—bees":chapters4and10。——Translator'sNote。）,whosecellsaresosmall,areeagerlyoccupied。Thelate—comers,findingnothingelsefree,goandsettleinthelocksofmytable—drawers。Therearedaringoneswhomaketheirwayintohalf—openboxescontainingendsofglasstubesinwhichIhavestoredmymostrecentacquisitions:grubs,pupaeandcocoonsofallkinds,whoseevolutionIwishedtostudy。Wheneverthesereceptacleshaveanatomoffreespace,theyclaimtherighttobuildthere,whereasIformallyopposetheclaim。Ihardlyreckonedonsuchasuccess,whichobligesmetoputsomeorderintotheinvasionwithwhichIamthreatened。Isealupthelocks,Ishutmyboxes,Iclosemyvariousreceptaclesforoldnests,inshortI
removefromthebuilding—yardanyretreatofwhichIdonotapprove。
Andnow,OmyOsmiae,Ileaveyouafreefield！
Theworkbeginswithathoroughspring—cleaningofthehome。Remnantsofcocoons,dirtconsistingofspoilthoney,bitsofplasterfrombrokenpartitions,remainsofdriedMolluscatthebottomofashell:
theseandmuchotherinsanitaryrefusemustfirstofalldisappear。
ViolentlytheOsmiatugsattheoffendingobjectandtearsitout;
andthenoffshegoes,inadesperatehurry,todisposeofitfarawayfromthestudy。Theyareallalike,theseardentsweepers:intheirexcessivezeal,theyfearlesttheyshouldblockuptheplacewithaspeckofdustwhichtheymightdropinfrontofthenewhouse。
Theglasstubes,whichImyselfhaverinsedunderthetap,arenotexemptfromascrupulouscleaning。TheOsmiaduststhem,brushesthemthoroughlywithhertarsiandthensweepsthemoutbackwards。Whatdoesshepickup？Notathing。Itmakesnodifference:asaconscientioushousewife,shegivestheplaceatouchofthebroomnevertheless。
Nowfortheprovisionsandthepartition—walls。Heretheorderoftheworkchangesaccordingtothediameterofthecylinder。Myglasstubesvarygreatlyindimensions。Thelargesthaveaninnerwidthofadozenmillimetres（Nearlyhalfaninch。——Translator'sNote。）;thenarrowestmeasuresixorseven。（Aboutaquarterofaninch。——
Translator'sNote。）Inthelatter,ifthebottomsuither,theOsmiasetstoworkbringingpollenandhoney。Ifthebottomdonotsuither,ifthesorghum—pithplugwithwhichIhaveclosedtherear—endofthetubebetooirregularandbadly—joined,theBeecoatsitwithalittlemortar。Whenthissmallrepairismade,theharvestingbegins。
Inthewidertubes,theworkproceedsquitedifferently。AtthemomentwhentheOsmiadisgorgesherhoneyandespeciallyatthemomentwhen,withherhind—tarsi,sherubsthepollen—dustfromherventralbrush,sheneedsanarrowaperture,justbigenoughtoallowofherpassage。Iimaginethat,inastraitenedgallery,therubbingofherwholebodyagainstthesidesgivestheharvesterasupportforherbrushing—work。Inaspaciouscylinder,thissupportfailsher;
andtheOsmiastartswithcreatingoneforherself,whichshedoesbynarrowingthechannel。Whetheritbetofacilitatethestoringofthevictualsorforanyotherreason,thefactremainsthattheOsmiahousedinawidetubebeginswiththepartitioning。
Herdivisionismadebyadabofclayplacedatrightanglestotheaxisofthecylinder,atadistancefromthebottomdeterminedbytheordinarylengthofacell。Thiswadisnotacompleteround;itismorecrescent—shaped,leavingacircularspacebetweenitandonesideofthetube。Freshlayersareswiftlyaddedtothedabofclay;
andsoonthetubeisdividedbyapartitionwhichhasacircularopeningatthesideofit,asortofdog—holethroughwhichtheOsmiawillproceedtokneadtheBee—bread。Whenthevictuallingisfinishedandtheegglaidupontheheap,theholeisclosedandthefilled—uppartitionbecomesthebottomofthenextcell。Thenthesamemethodisrepeated,thatistosay,infrontofthejustcompletedceilingasecondpartitionisbuilt,againwithaside—passage,whichisstouter,owingtoitsdistancefromthecentre,andbetterabletowithstandthenumerouscomingsandgoingsofthehousewifethanacentralorifice,deprivedofthedirectsupportofthewall,couldhopetobe。Whenthispartitionisready,theprovisioningofthesecondcelliseffected;andsoonuntilthewidecylinderiscompletelystocked。
Thebuildingofthispreliminaryparty—wall,withanarrow,rounddog—hole,forachambertowhichthevictualswillnotbebroughtuntillaterisnotrestrictedtotheThree—hornedOsmia;itisalsofrequentlyfoundinthecaseoftheHornedOsmiaandofLatreille'sOsmia。Nothingcouldbeprettierthantheworkofthelast—named,whogoestotheplantsforhermaterialandfashionsadelicatesheetinwhichshecutsagracefularch。TheChinamanpartitionshishousewithpaperscreens;Latreille'sOsmiadividesherswithdisksofthingreencardboardperforatedwithaserving—hatchwhichremainsuntiltheroomiscompletelyfurnished。Whenwehavenoglasshousesatourdisposal,wecanseetheselittlearchitecturalrefinementsinthereedsofthehurdles,ifweopenthemattherightseason。
Bysplittingthebramble—stumpsinthecourseofJuly,weperceivealsothattheThree—prongedOsmia,notwithstandinghernarrowgallery,followsthesamepracticeasLatreille'sOsmia,withadifference。Shedoesnotbuildaparty—wall,whichthediameterofthecylinderwouldnotpermit;sheconfinesherselftoputtingupafrailcircularpadofgreenputty,asthoughtolimit,beforeanyattemptatharvesting,thespacetobeoccupiedbytheBee—bread,whosedepthcouldnotbecalculatedafterwardsiftheinsectdidnotfirstmarkoutitsconfines。Cantherereallybeanactofmeasuring？
Thatwouldbesuperlativelyclever。LetusconsulttheThree—hornedOsmiainherglasstubes。
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