igo2] Soir:^es. 253 



ment of life and the actual distribution of the activities of life, form 

 a continuous series of considerations, no term of which can be 

 omitted without impairing the interest and value of the whole 

 series. 



The third soiree of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club was held 

 in the Y. M. C. A. building- on the evening of Jan. 28th, when Mr. 

 Percy H. Selwyn gave an address on the " Natural History of the 

 Honey Bee." Attention was first called to the difference between 

 the regular and uniform frames composed almost entirely of worker 

 comb, which are to be found in the modern hive, as compared with 

 those constructed by the bees when living in a state of nature. 

 The latter are of all shapes and sizes with usually an abnormal 

 proportion of drone comb. The queen bee was then spoken of at 

 some length, and it was shown that while being hatched from an 

 egg which under ordinary conditions would have produced a 

 worker bee, stimulative feeding during the larval period combined 

 with increased accommodation to allow for growth, made wonder- 

 ful changes in the perfect insect. Notice was also taken of the 

 fact that while the worker bees are most solicitous for the welfare 

 of the drones during the time of natural increase, viz., swarming, 

 no sooner has this time passed and their services are no longer 

 required than the bees turn them all out of the hives to perish. It 

 was also shown that while it is now possible with the aid of comb 

 foundation to reduce the amount of drone comb in each hive to a 

 minimum, in no case can it be entirely dispensed with. The 

 natural instinct for the reproduction of the race is so strong within 

 the bees that before swarming takes place a certain number of 

 drones must be present in the hive, and consequently if only 

 worker combs are provided, the bees will either cut out portions 

 of this comb and replace with drone comb of their own building, 

 or, as is generally the case, will build cells suitable for rearing 

 drones along the bottoms of the frames. 



The report of the Entomological Branch was read by Dr. 

 Fletcher and will be printed in an early number of The 

 Naturalist ^SIC^T^ 



