BEE. 
ever the stand is made, they all immediately repair 
to it, till they are all collected. But it would 
, seem, in some cases, that they had not fixed upon 
any resting place before they came off, or if they 
had, that they were either disturbed, if it was near, 
or that it was at a great distance; for, after hover- 
ing som^ time, as if undetermined, they fly away, 
mount up into the air, and go off with great velo- 
city. When they have fixed upon their future 
habitation, they immediately begin to make their 
combs, for they have the materials within them- 
selves. I have reason to believe that they fill their 
crops with honey when they come away ; pro- 
bably from the stock in the hive. I killed several 
of those that came away, and found their crops 
full, while those that remained in the hive had 
their crops not near so full: some of them came 
away with farina on their legs, which I conceive 
to be rather accidental. I may just observe here, 
that a hive commonly sends off two, sometimes 
three swarms in a summer; but that the second is 
commonly less than the first, and the third less 
than the second; and this last has seldom time to 
provide for the winter: they shall often threaten 
to swarm, but do not; whether the threatening is 
owing to too many bees, and their not swarming 
is owing to there being no queen, I do not know. 
It sometimes hajipens that the swarm shall go 
back again; but in such instances I have reason 
to think that they have lost their queen, for the 
hives to which their swarm have come back do 
not swarm the next warm day, but shall hang out 
