Letherlieinwaitaslongasshewill！Neitherheraudacitynorherslynesswillmakeherescapethelynxeyesofthesentinel,whowillputhertoflightwithathreateninggestureor,ifshepersist,crushherwithhernippers。Shewillnotcome;andweknowthereason:untilspringreturns,sheisundergroundinthepupastate。
But,inherabsence,thereisnolack,amongtheFlyrabble,ofotherbattenersonthetoiloftheirfellowinsects。Whateverthejob,whatevertheplunder,youwillfindparasitesthere。Andyet,forallmydailyvisits,Inevercatchoneoftheseintheneighbourhoodofthesummerburrows。Howcleverlytherascalsplytheirtrade！HowwellawarearetheyoftheguardwhokeepswatchattheHalictus\'
door！Thereisnofouldeedpossiblenowadays;andtheresultisthatnoFlyputsinanappearanceandthetribulationsoflastspringarenotrepeated。
Thegrandmotherwho,dispensedbyagefrommaternalbothers,mountsguardattheentranceofthehomeandwatchesoverthesafetyofthefamily,tellsusthatinthegenesisoftheinstinctssuddenbirthsoccur;sheshowsustheexistenceofaspontaneousaptitudewhichnothing,eitherinherownpastconductorintheactionsofherdaughters,couldhaveledustosuspect。Timorousinherprime,inthemonthofMay,whenshelivedaloneintheburrowofhermaking,shehasbecomegifted,inherdecline,withasuperbcontemptofdangeranddaresinherimpotencewhatsheneverdareddoinherstrength。
Formerly,whenhertyrant,theGnat,enteredthehouseinherpresence,or,moreoften,stoodfacetofacewithherattheentrance,thesillyBeedidnotstir,didnoteventhreatenthered—
eyedbandit,thedwarfwhosedoomshecouldsoeasilyhavesealed。
Wasitterroronherpart？No,forsheattendedtoherdutieswithherusualpunctiliousness;no,forthestrongdonotallowthemselvestobethusparalysedbytheweak。Itwasignoranceofthedanger,itwassheerfecklessness。
Andbehold,to—day,theignoramusofthreemonthsagoknowstheperil,knowsitwell,withoutservinganyapprenticeship。Everystrangerwhoappearsiskeptatadistance,withoutdistinctionofsizeorrace。Ifthethreateninggesturebenotenough,thekeepersalliesforthandflingsherselfuponthepersistentone。Cowardicehasdevelopedintocourage。
Howhasthischangebeenbroughtabout？IshouldliketopicturetheHalictusgainingwisdomfromthemisfortunesofthespringandcapablethenceforthoflookingoutfordanger;Iwouldgladlycreditherwithhavinglearntinthesternschoolofexperiencetheadvantagesofapatrol。Imustgiveuptheidea。If,bydintofgraduallittleactsofprogress,theBeehasachievedthegloriousinventionofajanitress,howcomesitthatthefearofthievesisintermittent？Itistruethat,beingbyherselfinMay,shecannotstandpermanentlyatherdoor:thebusinessofthehousetakesprecedenceofeverythingelse。Butsheought,atanyrateassoonasheroffspringarevictimized,toknowtheparasiteandgivechasewhen,ateverymoment,shefindsheralmostunderherfeetandeveninherhouse。Yetshepaysnoattentiontoher。
Thebitterexperienceofherancestors,therefore,hasbequeathednothingtoherofanaturetoalterherplacidcharacter;norhaveherowntribulationsaughttodowiththesuddenawakeningofhervigilanceinJuly。Likeourselves,animalshavetheirjoysandtheirsorrows。Theyeagerlymakethemostoftheformer;theyfretbutlittleaboutthelatter,which,whenallissaid,isthebestwayofachievingapurelyanimalenjoymentoflife。Tomitigatethesetroublesandprotecttheprogenythereistheinspirationofinstinct,whichisablewithoutthecounselsofexperiencetogivetheHalictiaportress。
Whenthevictuallingisfinished,whentheHalictinolongersallyforthonharvestingintentnorreturnallbeflouredwiththeirspoils,theoldBeeisstillatherpost,vigilantasever。Thefinalpreparationsforthebroodaremadebelow;thecellsareclosed。Thedoorwillbekeptuntileverythingisfinished。Thengrandmotherandmothersleavethehouse。Exhaustedbytheperformanceoftheirduty,theygo,somewhereorother,todie。
InSeptemberappearsthesecondgeneration,comprisingbothmalesandfemales。Ifindbothsexeswassailingontheflowers,especiallytheCompositae,thecentauriesandthistles。Theyarenotharvestingnow:
theyarerefreshingthemselves,holdinghighholiday,teasingoneanother。Itisthewedding—time。Yetanotherfortnightandthemaleswilldisappear,henceforthuseless。Thepartoftheidlersisplayed。
Onlytheindustriousonesremain,theimpregnatedfemales,whogothroughthewinterandsettoworkinApril。
Idonotknowtheirexacthauntduringtheinclementseason。I
expectedthemtoreturntotheirnativeburrow,anexcellentdwellingforthewinter,onewouldthink。ExcavationsmadeinJanuaryshowedmemymistake。Theoldhomesareempty,arefallingtopiecesowingtotheprolongedeffectoftherains。TheZebraHalictushassomethingbetterthanthesemuddyhovels:shehassnugcornersinthestone—heaps,hiding—placesinthesunnywallsandmanyotherconvenienthabitations。Andsothenativesofavillagebecomescatteredfarandwide。
InApril,thescatteredonesreassemblefromalldirections。Onthewell—flattenedgarden—pathsachoiceismadeofthesitefortheircommonlabours。Operationssoonbegin。Closetothefirstwhoboreshershaftthereissoonasecondonebusywithhers;athirdarrives,followedbyanotherandothersyet,untilthelittlemoundsoftentouchoneanother,whileattimestheynumberasmanyasfiftyonasurfaceoflessthanasquareyard。
Onewouldbeinclined,atfirstsight,tosaythatthesegroupsareaccountedforbytheinsect\'srecollectionofitsbirthplace,bythefactthatthevillagers,afterdispersingduringthewinter,returntotheirhamlet。Butitisnotthusthatthingshappen:theHalictusscornsto—daytheplacethatoncesuitedher。Ineverseeheroccupythesamepatchofgroundfortwoyearsinsuccession。Eachspringsheneedsnewquarters。Andthereareplentyofthem。
CanthismusteringoftheHalictibeduetoawishtoresumetheoldintercoursewiththeirfriendsandrelations？Dothenativesofthesameburrow,ofthesamehamlet,recognizeoneanother？Aretheyinclinedtodotheirworkamongthemselvesratherthaninthecompanyofstrangers？Thereisnothingtoproveit,noristhereanythingtodisproveit。Eitherforthisreasonorforothers,theHalictuslikestokeepwithherneighbours。
Thispropensityisprettyfrequentamongpeace—lovers,who,needinglittlenourishment,havenocausetofearcompetition。Theothers,thebigeaters,takepossessionofestates,ofhunting—groundsfromwhichtheirfellowsareexcluded。AskaWolfhisopinionofabrotherWolfpoachingonhispreserves。Manhimself,thechiefofconsumers,makesforhimselffrontiersarmedwithartillery;hesetsuppostsatthefootofwhichonesaystotheother:
\'Here\'smyside,there\'syours。That\'senough:nowwe\'llpeppereachother。\'
Andtherattleofthelatestexplosivesendsthecolloquy。
Happyarethepeace—lovers。Whatdotheygainbytheirmustering？
Withthemitisnotadefensivesystem,aconcertedefforttowardoffthecommonfoe。TheHalictusdoesnotcareaboutherneighbour\'saffairs。Shedoesnotvisitanother\'sburrow;shedoesnotallowotherstovisithers。Shehashertribulations,whichsheenduresalone;sheisindifferenttothetribulationsofherkind。Shestandsalooffromthestrifeofherfellows。Leteachmindherownbusinessandleavethingsatthat。
Butcompanyhasitsattractions。Helivestwicewhowatchesthelifeofothers。Individualactivitygainsbythesightofthegeneralactivity;theanimationofeachonederivesfreshwarmthfromthefireoftheuniversalanimation。Toseeone\'sneighboursatworkstimulatesone\'srivalry。Andworkisthegreatdelight,therealsatisfactionthatgivessomevaluetolife。TheHalictusknowsthiswellandassemblesinhernumbersthatshemayworkallthebetter。
Sometimessheassemblesinsuchmultitudesandoversuchextentsofgroundastosuggestourowncolossalswarms。BabylonandMemphis,RomeandCarthage,LondonandParis,thosefrantichives,occurtoourmindifwecanmanagetoforgetcomparativedimensionsandseeaCyclopeanpileinapinchofearth。
ItwasinFebruary。Thealmond—treewasinblossom。Asuddenrushofsaphadgiventhetreenewlife;itsboughs,allblackanddesolate,seeminglydead,werebecomingagloriousdomeofsnowysatin。Ihavealwayslovedthismagicoftheawakeningspring,thissmileofthefirstflowersagainstthegloomybarenessofthebark。
AndsoIwaswalkingacrossthefields,gazingatthealmond—trees\'
carnival。Otherswerebeforeme。AnOsmiainablackvelvetbodiceandaredwoollenskirt,theHornedOsmia,wasvisitingtheflowers,dippingintoeachpinkeyeinsearchofahoneyedtear。Averysmallandverymodestly—dressedHalictus,muchbusierandinfargreaternumbers,wasflittingsilentlyfromblossomtoblossom。OfficialsciencecallsherHalictusmalachurus,K。TheprettylittleBee\'sgodfatherstrikesmeasill—inspired。Whathasmalachurus,callingattentiontothesoftnessoftherump,todointhisconnection？ThenameofEarlyHalictuswouldbetterdescribethealmond—tree\'slittlevisitor。
Noneofthemelliferousclan,inmyneighbourhoodatleast,isstirringasearlyassheis。ShedigsherburrowsinFebruary,aninclementmonth,subjecttosuddenreturnsoffrost。Whennoneasyet,evenamonghernearkinswomen,darestosallyforthfromwinter—
quarters,shepluckilygoestowork,shinethesuneversolittle。
LiketheZebraHalictus,shehastwogenerationsayear,oneinspringandoneinsummer;likeher,too,shesettlesbypreferenceinthehardrutsofthecountryroads。
Hermole—hills,thosehumblemoundsanytwoofwhichwouldgoeasilyintoaHen\'segg,riseinnumerousinmypath,thepathbythealmond—
treeswhichisthehappyhunting—groundofmycuriosityto—day。Thispathisaribbonofroadthreepaceswide,wornintorutsbytheMule\'shoofsandthewheelsofthefarm—carts。Acoppiceofholm—oakssheltersitfromthenorthwind。InthisEdenwithitswell—cakedsoil,itswarmthandquiet,thelittleHalictushasmultipliedhermole—hillstosuchadegreethatIcannottakeastepwithoutcrushingsomeofthem。Theaccidentisnotserious:theminer,safeunderground,willbeabletoscrambleupthecrumblingsidesofthemineandrepairthethresholdofthetrampledhome。
Imakeapointofmeasuringthedensityofthepopulation。Icountfromfortytosixtymole—hillsonasurfaceofonesquareyard。Theencampmentisthreepaceswideandstretchesovernearlythree—
quartersofamile。HowmanyHalictiarethereinthisBabylon？Idonotventuretomakethecalculation。
SpeakingoftheZebraHalictus,Iusedthewordshamlet,village,township;andtheexpressionswereappropriate。Herethetermcityhardlymeetsthecase。Andwhatreasoncanweallegefortheseinnumerableclusters？Icanseebutone:thecharmoflivingtogether,whichistheoriginofsociety。Likemingleswithlike,withouttherenderingofanymutualservice;andthisisenoughtosummontheEarlyHalictustothesameway—side,evenastheHerringandtheSardineassembleinthesamewaters。
CHAPTER14。THEHALICTI:PARTHENOGENESIS。
TheHalictusopensupanotherquestion,connectedwithoneoflife\'sobscurestproblems。Letusgobackfive—and—twentyyears。IamlivingatOrange。Myhousestandsaloneamongthefields。Ontheothersideofthewallenclosingouryard,whichfacesduesouth,isanarrowpathovergrownwithcouch—grass。Thesunbeatsfulluponit;andtheglarereflectedfromthewhitewashofthewallturnsitintoalittletropicalcorner,shutofffromtherudegustsofthenorth—westwind。
HeretheCatscometotaketheirafternoonnap,withtheireyeshalf—
closed;herethechildrencome,withBull,theHouse—dog;herealsocomethehaymakers,atthehottesttimeoftheday,tositandtaketheirmealandwhettheirscythesintheshadeoftheplane—tree;
herethewomenpassupanddownwiththeirrakes,afterthehay—
harvest,togleanwhattheycanontheniggardlycarpetoftheshornmeadow。Itisthereforeaverymuchfrequentedfootpath,wereitonlybecauseofthecomingandgoingofourhousehold:athoroughfareill—
suited,onewouldthink,tothepeacefuloperationsofaBee;andneverthelessitissuchaverywarmandshelteredspotandthesoilissofavourablethateveryyearIseetheCylindricalHalictus（H。
cylindricus,FAB。）handdownthesitefromonegenerationtothenext。Itistruethattheverymatutinal,evenpartlynocturnalcharacteroftheworkmakestheinsectsufferlessinconveniencefromthetraffic。
Theburrowscoveranextentofsometensquareyards,andtheirmounds,whichoftencomenearenoughtotouch,averageadistanceoffourinchesatthemostfromoneanother。Theirnumberisthereforesomethinglikeathousand。Thegroundjusthereisveryrough,consistingofstonesanddustmixedwithalittlemouldandheldtogetherbythecloselyinterwovenrootsofthecouch—grass。But,owingtoitsnature,itisthoroughlywelldrained,aconditionalwaysinrequestamongBeesandWaspsthathaveundergroundcells。
LetusforgetforamomentwhattheZebraHalictusandtheEarlyHalictushavetaughtus。Attheriskofrepeatingmyselfalittle,I
willrelatewhatIobservedduringmyfirstinvestigations。TheCylindricalHalictusworksinMay。Exceptamongthesocialspecies,suchasCommonWasps,Bumble—bees,AntsandHive—bees,itistheruleforeachinsectthatvictualsitsnestseitherwithhoneyorgametoworkbyitselfatconstructingthehomeofitsgrubs。Amonginsectsofthesamespeciesthereisoftenneighbourship;buttheirlaboursareindividualandnottheresultofco—operation。Forinstance,theCricket—hunters,theYellow—wingedSphex,settleingangsatthefootofasandstonecliff,buteachdigsherownburrowandwouldnotsufferaneighbourtocomeandhelpinpiercingthehome。
InthecaseoftheAnthophorae,aninnumerableswarmtakespossessionofasun—scorchedcrag,eachBeediggingherowngalleryandjealouslyexcludinganyofherfellowswhomightventuretocometotheentranceofherhole。TheThree—prongedOsmia,whenboringthebramble—stalktunnelinwhichhercellsaretobestacked,givesawarmreceptiontoanyOsmiathatdaressetfootuponherproperty。
LetoneoftheOdyneriwhomaketheirhomesinaroad—sidebankmistakethedoorandenterherneighbour\'shouse:shewouldhaveabadtimeofit！LetaMegachile,returningwithherleafydiskinherlegs,gointothewrongbasement:shewouldbeverysoondislodged！
Sowiththeothers:eachhasherownhome,whichnoneoftheothershastherighttoenter。Thisistherule,evenamongBeesandWaspsestablishedinapopulouscolonyonacommonsite。Closeneighbourhoodimpliesnosortofintimaterelationship。
GreatthereforeismysurpriseasIwatchtheCylindricalHalictus\'
operations。Sheformsnosociety,intheentomologicalsenseoftheword:thereisnocommonfamily;andthegeneralinterestdoesnotengrosstheattentionoftheindividual。Eachmotheroccupiesherselfonlywithherowneggs,buildscellsandgathershoneyonlyforherownlarvae,withoutconcerningherselfinanywaywiththeupbringingoftheothers\'grubs。Allthattheyhaveincommonistheentrance—
doorandthegoods—passage,whichramifiesinthegroundandleadstodifferentgroupsofcells,eachthepropertyofonemother。Evenso,intheblocksofflatsinourlargetowns,onedoor,onehallandonestaircaseleadtodifferentfloorsordifferentportionsofafloorwhereeachfamilyretainsitsisolationanditsindependence。
Thiscommonrightofwayisextremelyeasytoperceiveatthetimeforvictuallingthenests。Letusdirectourattentionforawhiletothesameentrance—aperture,openingatthetopofalittlemoundofearthfreshlythrownup,likethataccumulatedbytheAntsduringtheirworks。SoonerorlaterweshallseetheHalictiarrivewiththeirloadofpollen,gatheredontheCichoriaceaeoftheneighbourhood。
Usually,theycomeuponebyone;butitisnotraretoseethree,fourorevenmoreappearingatthesametimeatthemouthofoneburrow。Theyperchonthetopofthemoundand,withouthurryinginfrontofoneanother,withnosignofjealousy,theydivedownthepassage,eachinherturn。Weneedbutwatchtheirpeacefulwaiting,theirtranquildives,torecognizethatthisindeedisacommonpassagetowhicheachhasasmuchrightasanother。
Whenthesoilisexploitedforthefirsttimeandtheshaftsunkslowlyfromtheoutsidetotheinside,doseveralCylindricalHalicti,onerelievingtheother,takepartintheworkbywhichtheywillafterwardsprofitequally？Idonotbelieveitforamoment。AstheZebraHalictusandtheEarlyHalictustoldmelater,eachminergoestoworkaloneandmakesherselfagallerywhichwillbeherexclusiveproperty。Thecommonuseofthepassagecomespresently,whenthesite,testedbyexperience,ishandeddownfromonegenerationtoanother。
Afirstgroupofcellsisestablished,wewillsuppose,atthebottomofapitduginvirginsoil。Thewholething,cellsandpit,istheworkofoneinsect。Whenthemomentcomestoleavetheundergrounddwelling,theBeesemergingfromthisnestwillfindbeforethemanopenroad,oroneatmostobstructedbycrumblymatter,whichofferslessresistancethantheneighbouringsoil,asyetuntouched。Theexit—waywillthereforebetheprimitiveway,contrivedbythemotherduringtheconstructionofthenest。Allenteruponitwithoutanyhesitation,forthecellsopenstraightonit。All,comingandgoingfromthecellstothebottomoftheshaftandfromtheshafttothecells,willtakepartintheclearing,underthestimulusoftheapproachingdeliverance。
Itisquiteunnecessaryheretopresumeamongtheseundergroundprisonersaconcertedefforttoliberatethemselvesmoreeasilybyworkingincommon:eachisthinkingonlyofherselfandinvariablyreturns,afterresting,totoilattheinevitablepath,thepathofleastresistance,inshortthepassageoncedugbythemotherandnowmoreorlessblockedup。
AmongtheCylindricalHalicti,anyonewhowishesemergesfromhercellatherownhour,withoutwaitingfortheemergenceoftheothers,becausethecells,groupedinsmallstacks,haveeachtheirspecialoutletopeningintothecommongallery。Theresultofthisarrangementisthatalltheinhabitantsofoneburrowareabletoassist,eachdoinghershare,intheclearingoftheexit—shaft。Whenshefeelsfatigued,theworkerretirestoherundamagedcellandanothersucceedsher,impatienttogetoutratherthantohelpthefirst。AtlastthewayisclearandtheHalictiemerge。Theydisperseovertheflowersaroundaslongasthesunishot;whentheaircools,theygobacktotheburrowstospendthenightthere。
Afewdayspassandalreadythecaresofegg—layingareathand。Thegallerieshaveneverbeenabandoned。TheBeeshavecometotakerefugethereonrainyorverywindydays;most,ifnotall,havereturnedeveryeveningatsunset,eachdoubtlessmakingforherowncell,whichisstillintactandwhichiscarefullyimpresseduponhermemory。Inaword,theCylindricalHalictusdoesnotleadawanderinglife;shehasafixedresidence。
Anecessaryconsequenceresultsfromthesesettledhabits:forthepurposeofherlaying,theBeewilladopttheidenticalburrowinwhichshewasborn。Theentrance—galleryisreadytherefore。Shoulditneedtobecarrieddeeper,tobepushedinnewdirections,thebuilderhasbuttoextenditatwill。Theoldcellsevencanserveagain,ifslightlyrestored。
Thusresumingpossessionofthenativeburrowinviewofheroffspring,theBee,notwithstandingherinstinctsasasolitaryworker,achievesanattemptatsociallife,becausethereisoneentrance—doorandonepassagefortheuseofallthemothersreturningtotheoriginaldomicile。Thereisthusasemblanceofcollaborationwithoutanyrealco—operationforthecommonweal。
Everythingisreducedtoafamilyinheritancesharedequallyamongtheheirs。
Thenumberofthesecoheirsmustsoonbelimited,foratootumultuoustrafficinthecorridorwoulddelaythework。Thenfreshpassagesareopenedinwards,oftencommunicatingwithdepthsalreadyexcavated,sothatthegroundatlastisperforatedineverydirectionwithaninextricablemazeofwindingtunnels。
Thediggingofthecellsandthepiercingofnewgalleriestakeplaceespeciallyatnight。Aconeoffreshearthontopoftheburrowbearsevidenceeverymorningtotheovernightactivity。Italsoshowsbyitsvolumethatseveralnavvieshavetakenpartinthework,foritwouldbeimpossibleforasingleHalictustoextractfromtheground,conveytothesurfaceandheapupsolargeastackofrubbishinsoshortatime。
Atsunrise,whenthefieldsaroundarestillwetwithdew,theCylindricalHalictusleavesherundergroundpassagesandstartsonherforaging。Thisisdonewithoutanimation,perhapsbecauseofthemorningcoolness。Thereisnojoyousexcitement,nohummingabovetheburrows。TheBeescomebackagain,flyinglow,silentlyandheavily,theirhind—legsyellowwithpollen;theyalightontheearth—coneandatoncedivedowntheverticalchimney。Otherscomeupthepipeandgoofftotheirharvesting。
Thisjourneyingtoandfroforprovisionscontinuesuntileightornineinthemorning。Thentheheatbeginstogrowintenseandisreflectedbythewall;thenalsothepathisoncemorefrequented。
Peoplepassateverymoment,comingoutofthehouseorelsewhence。
Thesoilissomuchtroddenunderfootthatthelittlemoundsofrefusesurroundingeachburrowsoondisappearandthesiteloseseverysignofundergroundhabitation。
Alldaylong,theHalictiremainindoors。Withdrawingtothebottomofthegalleries,theyoccupythemselvesprobablyinmakingandpolishingthecells。Nextmorning,newconesofrubbishappear,theresultofthenight\'swork,andthepollen—harvestisresumedforafewhours;theneverythingceasesagain。Andsotheworkgoeson,suspendedbyday,renewedatnightandinthemorninghours,untilcompletelyfinished。
ThepassagesoftheCylindricalHalictusdescendtoadepthofsomeeightinchesandbranchintosecondarycorridors,eachgivingaccesstoasetofcells。Thesenumbersixoreighttoeachsetandarerangedsidebyside,parallelwiththeirmainaxis,whichisalmosthorizontal。Theyareovalatthebaseandcontractedattheneck。
Theirlengthisnearlytwentymillimetres（。78inch。——Translator\'sNote。）andtheirgreatestwidtheight。（。312inch。——Translator\'sNote。）Theydonotconsistsimplyofacavityintheground;onthecontrary,theyhavetheirownwalls,sothatthegroupcanbetakenoutinonepiece,withalittleprecaution,andremovedneatlyfromtheearthinwhichitiscontained。
Thewallsareformedoffairlydelicatematerials,whichmusthavebeenchoseninthecoarsesurroundingmassandkneadedwithsaliva。
Theinsideiscarefullypolishedandupholsteredwithathinwaterprooffilm。Wewillcutshortthesedetailsconcerningthecells,whichtheZebraHalictushasalreadyshownusingreaterperfection,leavethehometoitselfandcometothemoststrikingfeatureinthelife—historyoftheHalicti。
TheCylindricalHalictusisatworkinthefirstdaysofMay。ItisaruleamongtheHymenopteraforthemalesnevertotakepartinthefatiguingworkofnest—building。Toconstructcellsandtoamassvictualsareoccupationsentirelyforeigntotheirnature。Thisruleseemstohavenoexceptions;andtheHalicticonformtoitliketherest。Itisthereforeonlytobeexpectedthatweshouldseenomalesshootingtheundergroundrubbishoutsidethegalleries。Thatisnottheirbusiness。
Butwhatdoesastonishus,whenourattentionisdirectedtoit,isthetotalabsenceofanymalesinthevicinityoftheburrows。
Althoughitistherulethatthemalesshouldbeidle,itisalsotherulefortheseidlerstokeepnearthegalleriesincourseofconstruction,comingandgoingfromdoortodoorandhoveringabovethework—yardstoseizethemomentatwhichtheunfecundatedfemaleswillatlastyieldtotheirimportunities。
Nowhere,despitetheenormouspopulation,despitemycarefulandincessantwatch,itisimpossibleformetodistinguishasinglemale。Andyetthedistinctionbetweenthesexesisofthesimplest。
Itisnotnecessarytotakeholdofthemale。Hecanberecognizedevenatadistancebyhisslendererframe,byhislong,narrowabdomen,byhisredsash。Theymighteasilysuggesttwodifferentspecies。Thefemaleisapalerusset—brown;themaleisblack,withafewredsegmentstohisabdomen。Well,duringtheMaybuilding—
operations,thereisnotaBeeinsightcladinblack,withaslender,red—beltedabdomen;inshort,notamale。
Thoughthemalesdonotcometovisittheenvironsoftheburrows,theymightbeelsewhere,particularlyontheflowerswherethefemalesgoplundering。Ididnotfailtoexplorethefields,insect—
netinhand。Mysearchwasinvariablyfruitless。Ontheotherhand,thosemales,nownowheretobefound,areplentifullater,inSeptember,alongthebordersofthepaths,ontheclose—setflowersoftheeringo。
Thissingularcolony,reducedexclusivelytomothers,mademesuspecttheexistenceofseveralgenerationsayear,whereofoneatleastmustpossesstheothersex。Icontinuedtherefore,whenthebuilding—
whowasover,tokeepadailywatchontheestablishmentoftheCylindricalHalictus,inordertoseizethefavourablemomentthatwouldverifymysuspicions。Forsixweeks,solitudereignedabovetheburrows:notasingleHalictusappeared;andthepath,troddenbythewayfarers,lostitslittleheapsofrubbish,theonlysignsoftheexcavations。Therewasnothingoutsidetoshowthatthewarmthdownbelowwashatchingpopulousswarms。
Julycomesandalreadyafewlittlemoundsoffreshearthbetokenworkgoingonundergroundinpreparationforanexodusinthenearfuture。Asthemales,amongtheHymenoptera,aregenerallyfurtheradvancedthanthefemalesandquittheirnatalcellsearlier,itwasimportantthatIshouldwitnessthefirstexitsmade,soastodispeltheleastshadowofadoubt。Aviolentexhumationwouldhaveagreatadvantageoverthenaturalexit:itwouldplacethepopulationoftheburrowsimmediatelyundermyeyes,beforethedepartureofeithersex。Inthisway,nothingcouldescapefrommeandIwasdispensedfromawatchwhich,forallitsattentiveness,wasnottoberelieduponabsolutely。Ithereforeresolveuponareconnaissancewiththespade。
IdigdowntothefulldepthofthegalleriesandremovelargelumpsofearthwhichItakeinmyhandsandbreakverycarefullysoastoexamineallthepartsthatmaycontaincells。Halictiintheperfectstatepredominate,mostofthemstilllodgedintheirunbrokenchambers。Thoughtheyarenotquitesonumerous,therearealsoplentyofpupae。Icollectthemofeveryshadeofcolour,fromdead—
white,thesignofarecenttransformation,tosmoky—brown,themarkofanapproachingmetamorphosis。Larvae,insmallquantities,completetheharvest。Theyareinthestateoftorporthatprecedestheappearanceofthepupa。