登陆注册
14720900000026

第26章 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEXES.(6)

Some further circumstances add their testimony to that of the surrounded and surrounding cells. When the pebble projects sharply and forms a sort of dihedral angle, one of whose faces is more or less vertical and the other horizontal, this angle is a favourite site with the Mason, who thus finds greater stability for her edifice in the support given her by the double plane. These sites appear to me to be in great request with the Chalicodoma, considering the number of nests which I find thus doubly supported. In nests of this kind, all the cells, as usual, have their foundations fixed to the horizontal surface; but the first row, the row of cells first built, stands with its back against the vertical surface.

Well, these older cells, which occupy the actual edge of the dihedral angle, are always female, with the exception of those at either end of the row, which, as they belong to the outside, may be male cells.

In front of this first row come others. The female cells occupy the middle portion and the male the ends. Finally, the last row, closing in the remainder, contains only male cells. The progress of the work is very visible here: the Mason has begun by attending to the central group of female cells, the first row of which occupies the dihedral angle, and has finished her task by distributing the male cells round the outside.

If the perpendicular face of the dihedral angle be high enough, it sometimes happens that a second row of cells is placed above the first row backing on to that plane; a third row occurs less often.

The nest is then one of several storeys. The lower storeys, the older, contain only females; the upper, the more recent storey, contains none but males. It goes without saying that the surface layer, even of the lower storeys, can contain males without invalidating the rule, for this layer may always be looked upon as the Chalicodoma's last work.

Everything therefore contributes to show that, in the Mason-bee, the females take the lead in the order of primogeniture. Theirs is the central and best-protected part of the clay fortress; the outer part, that most exposed to the inclemencies of the weather and to accidents, is for the males.

The males' cells do not differ from the females' only by being placed at the outside of the cluster; they differ also in their capacity, which is much smaller. To estimate the respective capacities of the two sorts of cells, I go to work as follows: I fill the empty cell with very fine sand and pour this sand back into a glass tube measuring 5 millimetres (.195 inch.--Translator's Note.) in diameter.

>From the height of the column of sand we can estimate the comparative capacity of the two kinds of cells. I will take one at random among my numerous examples of cells thus gauged.

It comprises thirteen cells and occupies a dihedral angle. The female cells give me the following figures, in millimetres, as the height of the columns of sand:

40, 44, 43, 48, 48, 46, 47

(1.56, 1.71, 1.67, 1.87, 1.87, 1.79, 1.83 inches.--Translator's Note.), averaging 45. (1.75 inches.--Translator's Note.)The male cells give me:

32, 35, 28, 30, 30, 31

(1.24, 1.36, 1.09, 1.17, 1.17, 1.21 inches.--Translator's Note.), averaging 31. (1.21 inches.--Translator's Note.)The ratio of the capacity of the cells for the two sexes is therefore roughly a ratio of 4 to 3. The actual contents of the cell being proportionate to its capacity, the above ratio must also be more or less the ratio of provisions and sizes between females and males.

These figures will assist us presently to tell whether an old cell, occupied for a second or third time, belonged originally to a female or a male.

The Chalicodoma of the Sheds cannot give us any information on this matter. She builds under the same eaves, in excessively populous colonies; and it is impossible to follow the labours of any single Mason, whose cells, distributed here and there, are soon covered up with the work of her neighbours. All is muddle and confusion in the individual output of the swarming throng.

I have not watched the work of the Chalicodoma of the Shrubs with close enough attention to be able to state definitely that this Bee is a solitary builder. Her nest is a ball of clay hanging from a bough. Sometimes, this nest is the size of a large walnut and then appears to be the work of one alone; sometimes, it is the size of a man's fist, in which case I have no doubt that it is the work of several. Those bulky nests, comprising more than fifty cells, can tell us nothing exact, as a number of workers must certainly have collaborated to produce them.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 孪生替身伪小姐

    孪生替身伪小姐

    命运,从来都不心慈手软。已经定下来的轨迹,她只能遵从,因为无力改变,所以一生注定悲凉无依。如果渴望温暖,渴望关爱,渴望依靠,渴望亲人这些都算是自私的表现的话,那么她承认,她很自私。她是行走在温暖与美好边缘的孤儿,只要一不小心,就会跌入地狱的深渊。上帝折断了她翱翔于天际的翅膀,却留下了随时可能跌入地狱深渊的命运。“她不会死。因为我是‘阴’,所以她不会死。”她这么告诉他们,但是却不被相信。
  • 父亲的回忆

    父亲的回忆

    人的年纪一大,就和过去渐行渐远;人的年纪越大,过去也就越长。有些人喜欢回忆过去,也有些人不喜欢回忆自己的过去。我的父亲就是一个不喜欢回忆过去的人。可是那年夏天的午后他却向我讲起了他的过去……
  • 买个爹地宠妈咪

    买个爹地宠妈咪

    “叔叔,这个存钱罐给你,我买下你了!你当我爹地,妈咪送你。”当儿子背着你买了个爹还免费附送你时该怎么办?符筝筝转身欲跑之际,却惊奇地发现儿子买的这个“残次品”竟然就是自己要接近的目标人物!不得已,她顿住脚步,双眸微转,心里开始各种盘算……
  • 快穿之拐个男神带回家

    快穿之拐个男神带回家

    #天上掉下个男神怎么破?#凩浅浅表示:坑蒙拐骗弄回家去当男朋友!凩浅浅在家里捡到了一个系统,它说只要她帮它攻略人,它就送她一个男神!这笔交易好啊!于是凩浅浅就屁颠屁颠地跟系统契约了,然后怀着满心激情地去攻略人物,可是,为嘛她会被反攻略?!好吧,都怪被攻略的人物长得太帅了,她把持不住啊。。。
  • 真空之子

    真空之子

    他,神胎天降,生于帝王之家,却被皇帝认为是别人的孽种,欲杀之而后快;身怀极品灵根,却又是和灵气不兼容的魔免废体,只得修行凶险无比的炼体功法;十年的求学逃难生涯,让他痴迷上了科学之道。当一位修真者成了科学家,他又会怎样探索这个世界?
  • 明伦汇编官常典州牧部

    明伦汇编官常典州牧部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 恶魔老公别追我

    恶魔老公别追我

    十七岁,她放肆的爱上他,二十五岁,她成了他的冷落前妻,她为八年的爱恋交了昂贵的学费,心伤了,人累了,二十七岁,认识十年后,她凤凰涅槃般重生,化身大集团总裁,和他平视谈判,她冷漠无情,无奸不商,却是为了另一个男人。
  • 天幻空

    天幻空

    黑暗时代,人族苟活在魔族的圈养之下:一位在深山里出生的少年,背着行囊,伴着青梅,踏进这片残酷的大陆,他们会在这片大陆上上演一段怎样奇异的血雨腥风,爱恨情仇?
  • 青梅竹马:老公是我的

    青梅竹马:老公是我的

    【宠文!!!】只有三岁的她成天在某男身后喊着'老公,老公’某男受不了了说‘我不是你老公’某无赖女使出传说中的——萌杀技。说道:‘是妈咪让的。’某男无奈。......在某女的追夫道路要放弃时,某男开始了吃回头草。可小沫沫身边太多男的了,某男一气之下拉着某女扯证了。从此,她是他的人。
  • TFBOYS之空城中的葬礼

    TFBOYS之空城中的葬礼

    回忆时光的滴滴点点,感动怀念落泪...虽然努力一下,可以把碎片拼凑在一起,但终究是落下了裂缝终究不完美。寂寞就像一座华丽的空城.外表华丽,里面却空白的让人忧伤;生命是一场华丽的葬礼.繁华背后有多少万念俱灰。那些该逝去的,都逝去了而活着的,还得好好活着。也许现在的一切跟以前的我们想的不太一样,但命中注定就是这样的命中注定的梦一样的结局。如果这场梦的开始我们就都是清醒的多好......