Zoological Proceedings of Societies: 409 





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AuT. LXII. Proceedings of Leorncd Societies on subjects^ 

 connected with Zoology, < v 



■:k rSyAL society. 



l]!^ 22, 1828.— A letter was r^d from Thomas Anclrew Knight, Esq., 

 addressed to the President, containing Anaccount^ some Circumstances 

 relating to the Economy of Bees. "^ ^' 



In a former Paper, the autttour stated his having observed that, several 

 days previously to the settling of a swarm of Bees in the cavity of a hol- 

 low tree adapted for their reception, a considerable numbef*bf those in- 

 sectjj;' were 'incessantly employed*in examining the state of the {fee, and 

 particularly of every dead knot above the cavity which appeared likely to 

 admit watet- He has since had an opportunity of notiping, that the be|? 

 who performed this task of inspection, instead of being the same indi- 

 viduals, as,he ha^ formerly imagined, were in fact a continual succession 

 of different bees : the whole number in the couT;se of three dkys being 

 such as to warranfthe inference, ttiat not a single labouring bee ever, 

 emigrates in a swarm without having seen its proposed future habitation. 

 He finds that the same remark applies not only to the permisiiient place of 

 settlement, but also to the place wliere^he bees rest temporarily, soon 

 after swarming, in ordef to collect their numbers. , ^ 



The swarms which were the subjects of Mr. Knight's experiments 

 showed a remarkable disposition to^unite under the same queen. T)n one 

 occasion, a swarm which had arisen from one of* his hives settled upon a 

 "bush, at a distance of aboiit tv/enty-five jrards ; but instead of collecting 

 together into a-compact fmass, as they usually do, they remained thinly 

 dispersed for nearly ^ hour, after which, as if tired of waiting, they 

 singly, and one after the other, and not in obedience to any signal, arose 

 ** a^^ returned hoiB^. The next morning a s^arm issued from a neigh- 

 bouring hive, and proceeded to t^ same bush upon which the other bees 

 had settled on the preceding day, collecting themselves into a mass, as 

 they usually do when their queen is present. In a few minutes afterwards 

 a very large assemblage of bees rushed from the hive from which the 

 ^ former swarm had issued, and proceeded directly to the one which had 

 just ^ttled, and instantly united with them."* The authoi;^ is led from 



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