pePlFEct societies of insects. 209 



to bees a greater age than they can claim. Thus Monf- 

 fet, because he knew a bees-nest which had remained 

 thirty years in the same quarters, concludes that tliey 

 are very long-lived, and very sapiently doubts whether 

 they even die of old age at all^ ! ! ! Which is just as 

 wise as if a man 'should contend, because London had 

 existed from before the time of Julius C^sar, that there- 

 fore its inhabitants must be immortal. 



Bees are subject to many accidents, particularly, as I 

 have said above, they often fall or are precipitated by the 

 wind into water ; and though like the cat a bee has not 

 nine lives, nor 



" Nine times emerging from the crystal flood. 

 She mews to every watery god," 



yet she will bear submersion nine hours; and, if ex- 

 posed to sufficient heat, be reanimated. In this case their 

 proboscis is generally unfolded, and stretched to its full 

 length. At the extremity of this, motion is first per- 

 ceived, and then at the ends of the legs. After these 

 symptoms appear they soon recover, fold up the tongue, 

 and plume themselves for flight ''. Experimentalists 

 may therefore, without danger, submerge a hive of bees, 

 when they want to examine them particularly, for they 

 will all revive upon being set to the fire. Reaumur says 

 that in winter, during frosts, the bees remain in a torpid 

 state. He must mean severe frosts; for Huber relates 

 an instance, when upon a sudden emergency, the bees 

 of one of his hives set themselves to work in the middle 

 of January; and he observes that they are so little 

 torpid in winter, that even when the thermometer abroad 

 is below the freezing point, it stands high in populous 



' Tkeatr.Ins.2\. ^ Ueaura. v. 540— 



VOL. II. p 



