YOuYou may remember, that about the beginning of May last, a piece of old Willow-wood, being sent me from Sir John Bernhard out of Northamptonshire, was produced before you; in which were lodged many Insects curiously wrapt up in green Leaves, in several channels or burrows, each with 12. 14. or 16. leaves round the Body, and several of them with as many little round bites of leaves at each end, to stop them up close. These, thus made made up, are near an Inch long or the best part of an inch, put in one after another into a bore made in the wood, fit for their reception. They are in the manner of Cartages of Powder, wherewith Pistols are wont to be Charged, or like long slugs of lead, as are sometimes used in some parts of those burrows; they are placed so near one another as to touch; in others, at some considerable distance. These Insects observe this method in placing themselves, that sometimes they make a direct way into the length of the wood, sometimes they bore out into the side, and run another way, those Channels being not unlike the burrows of Rabbets; all which they fill up with these round appearances of wrapt leaves, all regularly wrought: In which I find either something alive, or appearances of something that hath dyed there, and is putrified: In some a great number of Mites, (2099) of a dark ash-colour, shap'd not unlike common Mites; in others, I find seeming excrements of some small Insect, with the decayed parts of the dead Insect; in others, white Maggots, which you saw. Some of these Maggots I took out of their Theca or bagg, and put them in warm places in the Sun; and they thereupon grew something bigger, but changed not shape nor colour, but dyed. The rest I kept close in a box till the eighth of July present: then I took one of them out of the wood, and open'd the leaves, and felt something stir, hearing also an humming noise like that of a Bee; and as soon as I had open'd the Theca, a perfect Bee did fly out against my window, as strongly as a common Bee out of an Hive, having much of the colour and bignesse of those when they are new Flyers. Then being pleased at the sight, I took five more (all I had left) and put them in a Box into my Pocket, to shew them the Lord Brouncker, before they were taken out, or had eaten their way out; but his Lordship not being at home, I brought them back again; and they being disturbed, they all eat themselves out; and coming home, they were all creeping about my Box, and are since dead there, and are these, I here present to your View. They have all stings as other Bees have. I had some thoughts at first sight, by the yellowish Circles under their Bellies, that they might be a sort of Wasps; but now am of opinions, that they are common Bees.