Thatisperfectlytrue;butarethereanyalterations？Tobeginwith,itseemstomehardlypossiblethattheinsectcangobacktothecuttingoncethepieceisdetachedfromtheleaf:itlacksthenecessarysupporttognawtheflimsydiskwithanyprecision。A
　　tailorwouldspoilhisclothifhehadnotthesupportofatablewhencuttingoutthepiecesforacoat。TheMegachile'sscissors,sodifficulttowieldonanythingnotfirmlyheld,woulddoequallybadwork。
　　Besides,IhavebetterevidencethanthisformyrefusaltobelieveintheexistenceofalterationswhentheBeehasthecellinfrontofher。Thelidiscomposedofapileofdiskswhosenumbersometimesreacheshalfascore。Nowthebottompartofallthesedisksistheundersurfaceoftheleaf,whichispalerandmorestronglyveined;
　　thetoppartistheuppersurface,whichissmoothandgreener。Inotherwords,theinsectplacestheminthepositionwhichtheyoccupywhengathered。Letmeexplain。Inordertocutoutapiece,theBeestandsontheuppersurfaceoftheleaf。Thepiecedetachedisheldinthefeetandisthereforelaidwithitstopsurfaceagainsttheinsect'schestatthemomentofdeparture。Thereisnopossibilityofitsbeingturnedoveronthejourney。Consequently,thepieceislaidastheBeehasjustpickedit,withthelowersurfacetowardstheinsideofthecellandtheuppersurfacetowardstheoutside。Ifalterationswerenecessarytoreducethelidtothediameterofthepot,thediskwouldbeboundtogetturnedover:thepiece,manipulated,setupright,turnedround,triedthiswayandthat,would,whenfinallylaidinposition,haveitstoporbottomsurfaceinsidejustasithappenedtocome。Butthisisexactlywhatdoesnottakeplace。Therefore,astheorderofstackingneverchanges,thedisksarecut,fromthefirstclipofthescissors,withtheirproperdimensions。Theinsectexcelsusinpracticalgeometry。IlookupontheLeaf—cutter'spotandlidasanadditiontothemanyothermarvelsofinstinctthatcannotbeexplainedbymechanics;Isubmitittotheconsiderationofscience;andIpasson。
　　TheSilkyLeaf—cutter（Megachilesericans,FONSCOL。;M。Dufourii,LEP。）makeshernestsinthedisusedgalleriesoftheAnthophorae。I
　　knowhertooccupyanotherdwellingwhichismoreelegantandaffordsamoreroomyinstallation:ImeantheolddwellingofthefatCapricorn,thedenizenoftheoaks。Themetamorphosisiseffectedinaspaciouschamberlinedwithsoftfelt。Whenthelong—hornedBeetlereachestheadultstage,hereleaseshimselfandemergesfromthetreebyfollowingavestibulewhichthelarva'spowerfultoolshavepreparedbeforehand。Whenthedesertedcabin,owingtoitsposition,remainswholesomeandthereisnosignofanyrunningfromitswalls,nobrownstuffsmellingofthetan—yard,itissoonvisitedbytheSilkyMegachile,whofindsinitthemostsumptuousoftheapartmentsinhabitedbytheLeaf—cutters。Itcombineseveryconditionofcomfort:perfectsafety,aneventemperature,freedomfromdamp,ampleroom;andsothemotherwhoisfortunateenoughtobecomethepossessorofsuchalodgingusesitentirely,vestibuleanddrawing—
　　roomalike。Accommodationisfoundforallherfamilyofeggs;atleast,Ihavenowhereseennestsaspopulousashere。
　　Oneofthemprovidesmewithseventeencells,thehighestnumberappearinginmycensusoftheMegachileclan。MostofthemarelodgedinthenymphalchamberoftheCapricorn;and,asthespaciousrecessistoowideforasinglerow,thecellsarearrangedinthreeparallelseries。Theremainder,inasinglestring,occupythevestibule,whichiscompletedandfilledupbytheterminalbarricade。Inthematerialsemployed,hawthorn—andpaliurus—leavespredominate。Thepieces,bothinthecellsandinthebarrier,varyinsize。Itistruethatthehawthorn—leaves,withtheirdeepindentations,donotlendthemselvestothecuttingofneatovalpieces。Theinsectseemstohavedetachedeachmorselwithouttroublingovermuchabouttheshapeofthepiece,solongasitwasbigenough。Norhasitbeenveryparticularaboutarrangingthepiecesaccordingtothenatureoftheleaf:afterafewbitsofpaliuruscomebitsofvineandhawthorn;andtheseagainarefollowedbybitsofbrambleandpaliurus。TheBeehascollectedherpiecesanyhow,takingabithereandthere,justasherfancydictated。
　　Nevertheless,paliurusisthecommonest,perhapsforeconomicalreasons。
　　Inotice,infact,thattheleavesofthisshrub,insteadofbeingusedpiecemeal,areemployedwhole,whentheydonotexceedtheproperdimensions。Theirovalformandtheirmoderatesizesuittheinsect'srequirements;andthereisthereforenonecessitytocutthemintopieces。Theleaf—stalkisclippedwiththescissorsand,withoutmoreado,theMegachileretiresthericherbyafirst—ratebitofmaterial。
　　Splitupintotheircomponentparts,twocellsgivemealtogethereighty—threepiecesofleaves,whereofeighteenaresmallerthantheothersandofaroundshape。Thelast—namedcomefromthelids。Iftheyaverageforty—twoeach,theseventeencellsofthenestrepresentsevenhundredandfourteenpieces。Thesearenotall:thenestends,intheCapricorn'svestibule,withastoutbarricadeinwhichIcountthreehundredandfiftypieces。Thetotalthereforeamountstoonethousandandsixty—four。AllthosejourneysandallthatworkwiththescissorstofurnishthedesertedchamberoftheCerambyx！IfIdidnotknowtheLeaf—cutter'ssolitaryandjealousdisposition,Ishouldattributethehugestructuretothecollaborationofseveralmothers;butthereisnoquestionofcommunisminthiscase。Onedauntlesscreatureandonealone,onesolitary,inveterateworker,hasproducedthewholeoftheprodigiousmass。Ifworkisthebestwaytoenjoylife,thisonecertainlyhasnotbeenboredduringthefewweeksofherexistence。
　　Igladlyawardherthemosthonourableofeulogies,thatduetotheindustrious;andIalsocomplimentheronhertalentforclosingthehoney—pots。Thepiecesstackedintolidsareroundandhavenothingtosuggestthoseofwhichthecellsandthefinalbarricadearemade。
　　Exceptingthefirst,thosenearestthehoney,theyareperhapscutalittlelessneatlythanthedisksoftheWhite—girdledLeaf—cutter;
　　nomatter:theystopthejarperfectly,especiallywhentherearesometenofthemoneabovetheother。Whencuttingthem,theBeewasassureofherscissorsasadressmakerguidedbyapatternlaidonthestuff;andyetshewascuttingwithoutamodel,withouthavinginfrontofherthemouthtobeclosed。Toenlargeonthisinterestingsubjectwouldmeantorepeatoneself。AlltheLeaf—cuttershavethesametalentformakingthelidsoftheirpots。
　　Alessmysteriousquestionthanthisgeometricalproblemisthatofthematerials。DoeseachspeciesofMegachilekeeptoasingleplant,orhasitadefinitebotanicaldomainwhereintoexerciseitslibertyofchoice？ThelittlethatIhavealreadysaidisenoughtomakeussuspectthattheinsectisnotrestrictedtooneplant;andthisisconfirmedbyanexaminationoftheseparatecells,piecebypiece,whenwefindavarietywhichwewerefarfromimaginingatfirst。
　　HereisthefloraoftheMegachilesinmyneighbourhood,averyincompletefloraanddoubtlesscapableofconsiderableamplificationbyfutureresearches。
　　TheSilkyLeaf—cuttergathersthematerialsforherpots,herlidsandherbarricadesfromthefollowingplants:paliurus,hawthorn,vine,wildbriar,bramble,holm—oak,amelanchier,terebinthus,sage—
　　leavedrock—rose。Thefirstthreesupplythegreaterpartoftheleaf—work;thelastthreearerepresentedonlybyrarefragments。
　　TheHare—footedLeaf—cutter（Megachilelagopoda,LIN。）whichIseeverybusyinmyenclosure,thoughsheonlycollectshermaterialsthere,exploitsthelilacandtherose—treebypreference。Fromtimetotime,Iseeheralsocuttingbitsoutoftherobinia,thequince—
　　treeandthecherry—tree。Intheopencountry,Ihavefoundherbuildingwiththeleavesofthevinealone。
　　TheSilveryLeaf—cutter（Megachileargentata,FAB。）,anotherofmyguests,sharesthetasteoftheaforesaidforthelilacandtherose,butherdomainincludesinadditionthepomegranate—tree,thebramble,thevine,thecommondogwoodandthecorneliancherry。
　　TheWhite—girdledLeaf—cutterlikestherobinia,towhichsheadds,inlavishproportions,thevine,theroseandthehawthornandsometimes,inmoderation,thereedandthewhitish—leavedrock—rose。
　　TheBlack—tippedLeaf—cutter（Megachileapicalis,SPIN。）hasforherabodethecellsoftheMason—beeofthePebblesandtheruinednestsoftheOsmiaeandAnthidiaintheSnail—shells。Ihavenotknownhertouseanyothermaterialsthanthewildbriarandthehawthorn。
　　Incompletethoughitbe,thislisttellsusthattheMegachilesdonothaveexclusivebotanicaltastes。Eachspeciesmanagesextremelywellwithseveralplantsdifferinggreatlyinappearance。Thefirstconditiontobefulfilledbytheshrubexploitedisthatitbenearthenest。Frugalofhertime,theLeaf—cutterdeclinestogoondistantexpeditions。WheneverIcomeuponarecentMegachile—nest,I
　　amnotlonginfindingintheneighbourhood,withoutmuchsearching,thetreeorshrubfromwhichtheBeehascutherpieces。
　　Anothermainconditionisafineandsuppletexture,especiallyforthefirstdisksusedinthelidandforthepieceswhichformtheliningofthewallet。Therest,lesscarefullyexecuted,allowsofcoarserstuff;buteventhenthepiecemustbeflexibleandlenditselftothecylindricalconfigurationofthetunnel。Theleavesoftherock—roses,thickandroughlyfluted,fulfilthisconditionunsatisfactorily,forwhichreasonIseethemoccurringonlyatveryrareintervals。Theinsecthasgatheredpiecesofthembymistakeand,notfindingthemgoodtouse,hasceasedtovisittheunprofitableshrub。Stifferstill,theleafoftheholm—oakinitsfullmaturityisneveremployed:theSilkyLeaf—cutterusesitonlyintheyoungstateandtheninmoderation;shecangethervelvetypiecesbetterfromthevine。Inthelilac—bushessozealouslyexploitedbeforemyeyesbytheHare—footedLeaf—cutteroccuramedleyofdifferentshrubswhich,fromtheirsizeandthelustreoftheirleaves,shouldapparentlysuitthatsturdypinker。Theyaretheshrubbyhare's—ear,thehoneysuckle,thepricklybutcher's—broom,thebox。Whatmagnificentdisksoughttocomefromthehare's—earandthehoneysuckle！Onecouldgetanexcellentpiece,withoutfurtherlabour,bymerelycuttingtheleaf—stalkofthebox,asMegachilesericansdoeswithherpaliurus。Thelilac—loverdisdainsthemabsolutely。Forwhatreason？Ifancythatshefindsthemtoostiff。
　　Wouldshethinkdifferentlyifthelilac—bushwerenotthere？Perhapsso。
　　Inshort,apartfromthequestionsoftextureandproximitytothenest,theMegachile'schoice,itseemstome,mustdependuponwhetheraparticularshrubisplentifulornot。Thiswouldexplainthelavishuseofthevine,anobjectofwidespreadcultivation,andofthehawthornandthewildbriar,whichformpartofallourhedges。Asthesearetobefoundeverywhere,thefactthatthedifferentLeaf—cuttersmakeuseofthemisnoreflectionuponahostofequivalentsvaryingaccordingtothelocality。
　　Ifwehadtobelievewhatpeopletellusabouttheeffectsofheredity,whichissaidtohanddownfromgenerationtogeneration,evermorefirmlyestablished,theindividualhabitsofthosewhocomebefore,theMegachilesoftheseparts,experiencedinthelocalflorabythelongtrainingofthecenturies,butcompletenovicesinthepresenceofplantswhichtheirraceencountersforthefirsttime,oughttorefuseasunusualandsuspiciousanyexoticleaves,especiallywhentheyhaveathandplentyoftheleavesmadefamiliarbyhereditarycustom。Thequestionwasdeservingofseparatestudy。
　　Twosubjectsofmyobservations,theHare—footedandtheSilveryLeaf—cutter,bothoftheminmatesofmyopen—airlaboratory,gavemeadefiniteanswer。KnowingthepointsfrequentedbythetwoMegachiles,Iplantedintheirwork—yard,overgrownwithbriarandlilac,twooutlandishplantswhichseemedtometofulfiltherequiredconditionsofsupplenessoftexture,namely,theailantus,anativeofJapan,andtheVirginianphysostegia。Eventsjustifiedtheselection:bothBeesexploitedtheforeignflorawiththesameassiduityasthelocalflora,passingfromthelilactotheailantus,fromthebriartothephysostegia,leavingtheone,goingbacktotheother,withoutdrawingdistinctionsbetweentheknownandtheunknown。Inveteratehabitcouldnothavegivengreatercertainty,greatereasetotheirscissors,thoughthiswastheirfirstexperienceofsuchamaterial。
　　TheSilveryLeaf—cutterlentherselftoanevenmoreconclusivetest。
　　Asshereadilymakeshernestinthereedsofmyapparatus,Iwasable,uptoacertainpoint,tocreatealandscapeforherandselectitsvegetationmyself。Ithereforemovedthereed—hivetoapartoftheenclosurestockedchieflywithrosemary,whosescantyfoliageisnotadaptedfortheBee'swork,andneartheapparatusIarrangedanexoticshrubberyinpots,includingnotablythesmoothlopezia,fromMexico,andthelong—fruitedcapsicum,anIndianannual。Findingcloseathandthewherewithaltobuildhernest,theLeaf—cutterwentnofurtherafield。Thelopeziasuitedherespecially,somuchsothatalmostthewholenestwascomposedofit。Theresthadbeengatheredfromthecapsicum。
　　Anotherrecruit,whoseco—operationIhadinnowayengineered,camespontaneouslytooffermeherevidence。ThiswastheFeebleLeaf—
　　cutter（Megachileimbecilla,GERST。）。Nearlyaquarterofacenturyago,Isawher,allthroughthemonthofJuly,cuttingoutherroundsandellipsesattheexpenseofthepetalsofthePelargoniumzonale,thecommongeranium。Herperseverancedevastated——thereisnootherwordforit——mymodestarrayofpots。Hardlywasablossomout,whentheardentMegachilescameandscallopeditintocrescents。Thecolourwasindifferenttoher:red,whiteorpink,allthepetalsunderwentthedisastrousoperation。Afewcaptures,ancientrelicsofmycollecting—boxesbythistime,indemnifiedmeforthepillage。I
　　havenotseenthisunpleasantBeesince。Withwhatdoesshebuildwhentherearenogeranium—flowershandy？Idonotknow;butthefactremainsthatthefragiletailoressusedtoattacktheforeignflower,afairlyrecentacquisitionfromtheCape,asthoughallherracehadneverdoneanythingelse。
　　Thesedetailsleaveuswithoneobviousconclusion,whichiscontrarytoouroriginalideas,basedontheunvaryingcharacterofinsectindustry。Inconstructingtheirjars,theLeaf—cutters,eachfollowingthetastepeculiartoherspecies,donotmakeuseofthisorthatplanttotheexclusionoftheothers;theyhavenodefiniteflora,nodomainfaithfullytransmittedbyheredity。Theirpiecesofleavesvaryaccordingtothesurroundingvegetation;theyvaryindifferentlayersofthesamecell。Everythingsuitsthem,exoticornative,rareorcommon,providedthatthebitcutoutbeeasytoemploy。Itisnotthegeneralaspectoftheshrub,withitsfragileorbushybranches,itslargeorsmall,greenorgrey,dullorglossyleaves,thatguidestheinsect:suchadvancedbotanicalknowledgedoesnotenterintothequestionatall。Inthethicketchosenasapinking—establishment,theMegachileseesbutonething:leavesusefulforherwork。TheShrike,withhispassionforplantswithlong,woollysprigs,knowswheretofindnicely—waddedsubstituteswhenhisfavouritegrowth,thecotton—rose,islacking;theMegachilehasmuchwiderresources:indifferenttotheplantitself,shelooksonlyintothefoliage。Ifshefindsleavesofthepropersize,ofadrytexturecapableofdefyingthedampandofasupplenessfavourabletocylindricalcurving,thatisallsheasks;andtherestdoesnotmatter。Shehasthereforeanalmostunlimitedfieldforherlabour。
　　Thesesuddenandwhollyunprovokedchangesgivecauseforreflection。
　　Whenmygeranium—flowersweredevastated,howhadtheobtrusiveBee,untroubledbytheprofounddissimilaritybetweenthepetals,snow—
　　whitehere,brightscarletthere,howhadshelearnthertrade？
　　NothingtellsusthatsheherselfwasnotforthefirsttimeexploitingtheplantfromtheCape;and,ifshereallydidhavepredecessors,thehabithadnothadtimetobecomeinveterate,consideringthemodernimportationofthegeranium。WhereagaindidtheSilveryMegachile,forwhomIcreatedanexoticshrubbery,maketheacquaintanceofthelopezia,whichcomesfromMexico？Shecertainlyismakingafirststart。Neverdidhervillageorminepossessastalkofthatchillydenizenofourhot—houses。Sheismakingafirststart;andbeholdherstraightwayagraduate,versedintheartofcarvingunfamiliarfoliage。
　　Peopleoftentalkofthelongapprenticeshipsservedbyinstinct,ofitsgradualacquirements,ofitstalents,thelaboriousworkoftheages。TheMegachilesaffirmtheexactopposite。Theytellmethattheanimal,thoughinvariableintheessenceofitsart,iscapableofinnovationinthedetails;butatthesametimetheyassuremethatanysuchinnovationissuddenandnotgradual。Nothingpreparestheinnovations,nothingimprovesthemorhandsthemdown;otherwiseaselectionwouldlongagohavebeenmadeamidthediversityoffoliage;andtheshrubrecognizedasthemostserviceable,especiallywhenitisalsoplentiful,wouldalonesupplyallthebuilding—
　　materialsneeded。Ifhereditytransmittedindustrialdiscoveries,aMegachilewhothoughtofcuttingherdisksoutofpomegranate—leavesandfoundthemsatisfactoryoughttohaveinstilledalikingforsimilarmaterialsintoherdescendants;andweshouldthisdayfindLeaf—cuttersfaithfultothepomegranate—leaves,workerswhoremainedexclusiveintheirchoiceoftherawmaterial。Thefactsrefutethesetheories。
　　Peoplealsosay:
　　'Grantusavariation,howeversmall,intheinsect'sindustry;andthatvariation,accentuatedmoreandmore,willproduceanewraceandfinallyafixedspecies。'
　　ThistriflingvariationisthefulcrumforwhichArchimedesclamouredinordertolifttheworldwithhissystemoflevers。TheMegachilesofferusoneandaverygreatone:theindefinitevariationoftheirmaterials。Whatwillthetheorists'leversliftwiththisfulcrum？
　　Why,nothingatall！Whethertheycutthedelicatepetalsofthegeraniumorthetoughleavesofthelilac—bushes,theLeaf—cuttersareandwillbewhattheywere。Thisiswhatwelearnfromthepersistenceofeachspeciesinitsstructuraldetails,despitethegreatvarietyofthefoliageemployed。
　　CHAPTER9。THECOTTON—BEES。
　　TheevidenceoftheLeaf—cuttersprovesthatacertainlatitudeislefttotheinsectinitschoiceofmaterialsforthenest;andthisisconfirmedbythetestimonyoftheAnthidia,thecotton—
　　manufacturers。Mydistrictpossessesfive:A。Florentinum,LATR。,A。
　　diadema,LATR。,A。manicatum,LATR。,A。cingulatum,LATR。,A。
　　scapulare,LATR。Noneofthemcreatestherefugeinwhichthecottongoodsaremanufactured。LiketheOsmiaeandtheLeaf—cutters,theyarehomelessvagrants,adopting,eachtoherowntaste,suchshelterastheworkofothersaffords。TheScapularAnthidiumisloyaltothedrybramble,deprivedofitspithandturnedintoahollowtubebytheindustryofvariousminingBees,amongwhichfigure,inthefrontrank,theCeratinae,dwarfrivalsoftheXylocopa,orCarpenter—bee,thatmightydrillerofrottenwood。ThespaciousgalleriesoftheMaskedAnthophorasuittheFlorentineAnthidium,theforemostmemberofthegenussofarassizeisconcerned。TheDiademAnthidiumconsidersthatshehasdoneverywellifsheinheritsthevestibuleoftheHairy—footedAnthophora,oreventheordinaryburrowoftheEarth—worm。Failinganythingbetter,shemayestablishherselfinthedilapidateddomeoftheMason—beeofthePebbles。TheManicateAnthidiumshareshertastes。IhavesurprisedtheGirdledAnthidiumcohabitingwithaBembex—wasp。Thetwooccupantsofthecaveduginthesand,theownerandthestranger,werelivinginpeace,bothintentupontheirbusiness。Herusualhabitationissomeholeorotherinthecrevicesofaruinedwall。Totheserefuges,theworkofothers,wecanaddthestumpsofreeds,whichareaspopularwiththevariouscotton—gatherersaswiththeOsmiae;and,afterwehavementionedafewmostunexpectedretreats,suchasthesheathprovidedbyahollowbrickorthelabyrinthfurnishedbythelockofagate,weshallhavealmostexhaustedthelistofdomiciles。
　　LiketheOsmiaeandtheLeaf—cutters,theAnthidiumshowsanurgentneedofaready—madehome。Sheneverhousesherselfatherownexpense。Canwediscoverthereason？Letusfirstconsultafewhardworkerswhoareartificersoftheirowndwellings。TheAnthophoradigscorridorsandcellsintheroad—sidebankshardenedbythesun;
　　shedoesnoterect,sheexcavates;shedoesnotbuild,sheclears。
　　Toilingawaywithhermandibles,atombyatom,shemanagestocontrivethepassagesandchambersnecessaryforhereggs;andahugebusinessitis。Shehas,inaddition,topolishandglazetheroughsidesofhertunnels。Whatwouldhappenif,afterobtainingahomebydintoflong—continuedtoil,shehadnexttolineitwithwadding,togatherthefibrousdownfromcottonyplantsandtofeltitintobagssuitableforthehoney—paste？Thehard—workingBeewouldnotbeequaltoproducingalltheserefinements。Herminingcallsfortoogreatanexpenditureoftimeandstrengthtoleavehertheleisureforluxuriousfurnishing。Chambersandcorridors,therefore,willremainbare。
　　TheCarpenter—beegivesusthesameanswer。Whenwithherjoiner'swimbleshehaspatientlyboredthebeamtoadepthofnineinches,wouldshebeabletocutoutandplaceinpositionthethousandandonepieceswhichtheSilkyLeaf—cutteremploysforhernest？Timewouldfailher,evenasitwouldfailaMegachilewho,lackingtheCapricorn'schamber,hadherselftodigahomeinthetrunkoftheoak。ThereforetheCarpenter—bee,afterthetediousworkofboring,getstheinstallationdoneinthemostsummaryfashion,simplyrunningupasawdustpartition。
　　Thetwothings,thelaboriousbusinessofobtainingalodgingandtheartisticworkoffurnishing,seemunabletogotogether。Withtheinsectaswithman,hewhobuildsthehousedoesnotfurnishit,hewhofurnishesitdoesnotbuildit。Toeachhisshare,becauseoflackoftime。Divisionoflabour,themotherofthearts,makestheworkmanexcelinhisdepartment;onemanforthewholeworkwouldmeanstagnation,theworkernevergettingbeyondhisfirstcrudeattempts。Animalindustryisalittlelikeourown:itdoesnotattainitsperfectionsavewiththeaidofobscuretoilers,who,withoutknowingit,preparethefinalmasterpiece。IseenootherreasonforthisneedofagratuitouslodgingfortheMegachile'sleafybasketortheAnthidia'scottonpurses。Inthecaseofotherartistswhohandledelicatethingsthatrequireprotection,Idonothesitatetoassumetheexistenceofaready—madehome。ThusReaumurtellsusoftheUpholsterer—bee,Anthocopapapaveris,whofashionshercellswithpoppy—petals。Idonotknowtheflower—cutter,Ihaveneverseenher;butherarttellsmeplainlyenoughthatshemustestablishherselfinsomegallerywroughtbyothers,as,forinstance,inanEarth—worm'sburrow。
　　WehavebuttoseethenestofaCotton—beetoconvinceourselvesthatitsbuildercannotatthesametimebeanindefatigablenavvy。
　　Whenandnewly—feltedandnotyetmadestickywithhoney,thewaddedpurseisbyfarthemostelegantknownspecimenofentomologicalnest—building,especiallywherethecottonisofabrilliantwhite,asisfrequentlythecaseinthemanufacturersoftheGirdledAnthidium。Nobird's—nest,howeverdeservingofouradmiration,canvieinfinenessofflock,ingracefulnessofform,indelicacyoffeltingwiththiswonderfulbag,whichourfingers,evenwiththeaidoftools,couldhardlyimitate,foralltheirdexterity。Iabandontheattempttounderstandhow,withitslittlebalesofcottonbroughtuponebyone,theinsect,nootherwisegiftedthanthekneadersofmudandthemakersofleafybaskets,managestofeltwhatithascollectedintoahomogeneouswholeandthentoworktheproductintoathimble—shapedwallet。Itstoolsasamaster—fullerareitslegsanditsmandibles,whicharejustlikethosepossessedbythemortar—kneadersandLeaf—cutters;andyet,despitethissimilarityofoutfit,whatavastdifferenceintheresultsobtained！
　　ToseetheCotton—bees'talentsinactionseemsanundertakingfraughtwithinnumerabledifficulties:thingshappenatadepthinaccessibletotheeye;andtopersuadetheinsecttoworkintheopendoesnotlieinourpower。OneresourceremainedandIdidnotfailtoturntoit,thoughhithertoIhavebeenwhollyunsuccessful。
　　Threespecies,Anthidiumdiadema,A。manicatumandA。florentinum——
　　thefirst—namedinparticular——showthemselvesquitereadytotakeuptheirabodeinmyreed—apparatus。AllthatIhadtodowastoreplacethereedsbyglasstubes,whichwouldallowmetowatchtheworkwithoutdisturbingtheinsect。ThisstratagemhadansweredperfectlywiththeThree—hornedOsmiaandLatreille'sOsmia,whoselittlehousekeeping—secretsIhadlearntthankstothetransparentdwelling—
　　house。WhyshoulditnotanswerforitsCotton—beesand,inthesameway,withtheLeaf—cutters？Ialmostcountedonsuccess。Eventsbetrayedmyconfidence。ForfouryearsIsuppliedmyhiveswithglasstubesandnotoncedidtheCotton—weaversortheLeaf—cutterscondescendtotakeuptheirquartersinthecrystalpalaces。Theyalwayspreferredthehovelprovidedbythereed。ShallIpersuadethemoneday？Idonotabandonallhope。
　　Meanwhile,letmedescribethelittlethatIsaw。Moreorlessstockedwithcells,thereedisatlastclosed,rightattheorifice,withathickplugofcotton,usuallycoarserthanthewaddingofthehoney—satchels。ItistheequivalentoftheThree—hornedOsmia'sbarricadeofmud,oftheleaf—puttyofLatreille'sOsmia,oftheMegachiles'barrierofleavescutintodisks。Allthesefreetenantsarecarefultoshuttightthedoorofthedwelling,ofwhichtheyhaveoftenutilizedonlyaportion。Towatchthebuildingofthisbarricade,whichisalmostexternalwork,demandsbutalittlepatienceinwaitingforthefavourablemoment。
　　TheAnthidiumarrivesatlast,carryingthebaleofcottonfortheplugging。Withherfore—legsshetearsitapartandspreadsitout;
　　withhermandibles,whichgoinclosedandcomeoutopen,sheloosensthehardlumpsofflock;withherforeheadshepresseseachnewlayerupontheonebelow。Andthatisall。Theinsectfliesoff,returnsthericherbyanotherbaleandrepeatstheperformanceuntilthecottonbarrierreachestheleveloftheopening。Wehavehere,remember,aroughtask,innowaytobecomparedwiththedelicatemanufacturerofthebags;nevertheless,itmayperhapstellussomethingofthegeneralprocedureofthefinerwork。Thelegsdothecarding,themandiblesthedividing,theforeheadthepressing;andtheplayoftheseimplementsproducesthewonderfulcushionedwallet。
　　Thatisthemechanisminthelump;butwhatoftheartistry？
　　Letusleavetheunknownforfactswithinthescopeofobservation。I
　　willquestiontheDiademAnthidiuminparticular,afrequentinmateofmyreeds。Iopenareed—stumpabouttwodecimetreslongbytwelvemillimetresindiameter。（Aboutsevenandthree—quarterinchesbyhalfaninch。——Translator'sNote。）Theendisoccupiedbyacolumnofcotton—woolcomprisingtencells,withoutanydemarcationbetweenthemontheoutside,sothattheirwholeformsacontinuouscylinder。
　　Moreover,thankstoaclosefelting,thedifferentcompartmentsaresolderedtogether,somuchsothat,whenpulledbytheend,thecottonedificedoesnotbreakintosections,butcomesoutallinonepiece。Onewouldtakeitforasinglecylinder,whereasinrealitytheworkiscomposedofaseriesofchambers,eachofwhichhasbeenconstructedseparately,independentlyoftheonebefore,exceptperhapsatthebase。
　　Forthisreason,shortofrippingupthesoftdwelling,stillfullofhoney,itisimpossibletoascertainthenumberofstoreys;wemustwaituntilthecocoonsarewoven。Thenourfingerscantellthecellsbycountingtheknotsthatresistpressureunderthecoverofwadding。Thisgeneralstructureiseasilyexplained。Acottonbagismade,withthesheathofthereedasamould。Ifthisguidingsheathwerelacking,thethimbleshapewouldbeobtainedallthesame,withnolesselegance,asisprovedbytheGirdledAnthidium,whomakeshernestinsomehiding—placeorotherinthewallsortheground。
　　Whenthepurseisfinished,theprovisionscomeandtheegg,followedbytheclosingofthecell。WedonotherefindthegeometricallidoftheLeaf—cutters,thepileofdiskstight—setinthemouthofthejar。Thebagisclosedwithacottonsheetwhoseedgesaresolderedbyafelting—processtotheedgesoftheopening。Thesolderingissowelldonethatthehoney—pouchanditscoverformanindivisiblewhole。Immediatelyaboveit,thesecondcellisconstructed,havingitsownbase。Atthebeginningofthiswork,theinsecttakescaretojointhetwostoreysbyfeltingtheceilingofthefirsttothefloorofthesecond。Thuscontinuedtotheend,thework,withitsinnersolderings,becomesanunbrokencylinder,inwhichthebeautiesoftheseparatewalletsdisappearfromview。Inverymuchthesamefashion,butwithlessadhesionamongthedifferentcells,dotheLeaf—cuttersactwhenstackingtheirjarsinacolumnwithoutanyexternaldivisionintostoreys。