The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-29

never less than two; ana to NIL IN Il .
crevices, she prepares small oval pieces.
seizea them between her legs and con-
veys them to the spot, and If the piece
is to lsrge, she cuts of what is not
needed and throws the shreds away.
If we were to do this. the leaf would
shrivel up under our hands; but the bee
understands it. better than we do and
knows well how to spread the pieces
she uses and have them as smooth as
satin.
And now that our poppy bee has hung
the little chamber with this gorgeous
drapery-and she uses it very layishly,
too, for she even carries it beyond the
entrance-she fills it to the depth of
half an inch with pollen mixed with
honey. In this full store-house, which
she has prepared for her young. she
leaves an egg, and over it she folds
down most carefully these beautiful
scarlet petals from above! The upper
part is then filled with earth.
And now we are wondering what her
motive can be in this choice Of poppy
petals for her nest. But why may not
q bee see warmth and brightness and
cheer in this selection as well as we?
At any rate, they must have very re-
fined taste. If we were only poppy
bee, we should know all about it.
The rose-leaf cutter is another WON
der worker in upholstery. Naturalists
have long noticed this bee, So extraor-
binary is her nest that it is said of a
French gardener, in digging one up.
that he was sure that it must be the
work of magician! If you look at the
rose-bushes in the summer you will see
certain leaves out of which have been
cut one or more pieces of a circular
form, as smoothly and with as great
regularity as if done with pair Of
scissors. These cuttings show the scis-
sor-like jaw of the bee that has been at
work there. It would be a pleasant
thing to watch this busy little body at
her cutting-out, and then to follow her
as'she carries her work home to some
old wall or post-wherever it is, it is in
the form of cylindrical hole, exca-
waited. If you can find it, you can see
for yourself this wonderful leaf-lned
nest, six to ten inches deep in the
ground, the cells about the size of q
thimble and about that shape, lined
with these bits of rose-leaves-from
nine to twelve pieces in each, one in
serted in the other like row of tum-
blers-and as each is finished she makes
a sort of Z" ose-colored conserve of the
pollen and honey from flowers and the
common thistle.
Then comes the egg, placed in this
labyrinth of sweets. This little pro-
WIDER covers it all over with three or
more pieces of leaf, cut in circle as
truly accurate as compasses could de-
scribe,' room being left above this in
genious cover for another cell. Our
upholsterer thus works until her nurs-
cry tunnel is completely filed up.
Are these not wonderful creatures
that we have been talking about? 1t
will not be very long before you will be
able to watch their architecture, if you
feel inclined to 10 50. Many valuable
lessons may be learned from the bees.
When we see how much they can do, let
us be very diligent in Our sphere, and
God, who watches over them and us,
will be as well pleased with us as He
mast be with them.-Mrs. G. Hall, in
N Y. Observer sN1'