. The Australian zoologist. Zoology; Zoology; Zoology. Fig. 2: Plight of red Primarius female, Halictus dimorphus when orientating the "; Thereafter the shaft is seldom left unattended. A female's head usually closes the "doorway," and when one sister leaves for the harvest-field, another female comes up from below to close the aperture, and there awaits her turn to depart. The "watch" is assuredly maintained as a co-operative operation. Should the investigator move ever so cautiously, the bee will instantly drop out of sight. She can do this simply by holdin
. The Australian zoologist. Zoology; Zoology; Zoology. Fig. 2: Plight of red Primarius female, Halictus dimorphus when orientating the "; Thereafter the shaft is seldom left unattended. A female's head usually closes the "doorway," and when one sister leaves for the harvest-field, another female comes up from below to close the aperture, and there awaits her turn to depart. The "watch" is assuredly maintained as a co-operative operation. Should the investigator move ever so cautiously, the bee will instantly drop out of sight. She can do this simply by holding the legs "akimbo," and bringing the patellae or knee-plates to bear against the walls of the shaft; on the principle used in man's safety-chocks on city elevators. During cold and windy "weather," which may continue over several days, the mouth of the shaft is sealed with a plug of cement; three or four arcs are first attached to the periphery, and then the central aperture is finally closed with a single pellet. The cement is composed of saliva and the finest particles of soil removed during the construction of the cells. Only once, during many years, was a pebble observed to close the shaft. When the sun is bright enough, a female will emerge, bask in the warmth for a minute or two, and then take wing on a circular flight of orientation; always with her head towards the shaft, which is approximately 3 milli- metres in diameter, and level with the ground. During this initial flight she will plot the land-marks of the locality. If any one of these be moved during her absence, she will experience some difficulty on her return in locating her own particular shaft. In H. emeraldensis Raym., the shafts are often only a few millimetres apart, and a dozen or more lie within a square foot, yet the bees will not be confused until some change in the "landscape" is effected by man or other agent. A number of females, eight or so, emerge from each natal sha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1914
