PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 185 



l^tiiing it by piecemeal, devour^ one or both the pel- 

 lets on her legs, chewing- them with her jaws, and pass- 

 ing- them then down the little orifice before noticed. 

 Soraetin»es she enters the hive, and walks upon the 

 combs ; and whether she walks or stands, still keeps 

 beating her wings. By the noise thus produced, which 

 seems a call to some of her fellow-citizens, three or 

 four go to her, and placing themselves around her, be- 

 gin to lighten her of her load, each taking and devour- 

 ing a small portion of her ambrosia : this they repeat, 

 if more do not arrive to assist them, three or four 

 times, till the whole is disposed of''. Wildman ob- 

 served them on this occasion supporting themselves 

 upon their two fore feet ; and making several motions 

 with their wings and body to the right and left, which 

 produced the sound that summoned their assistants^. 

 This bee-bread, as I said before, is generally found in 

 the second stomach and intestines, but the honey never ; 

 which induced Reaumur to think (but he was mistaken) 

 that the bees elaborated wax from it : and he observes, 

 that the bees devour tliis when they are busily en- 

 gaged in constructing combs ''. When more pollen is 

 collected than the bees have immediate occasion for, 

 they store it up in some of the empty cells. The laden 

 bee puts her two hind legs into the cell, and with the 

 intermediate pair pushes off the pellets. When this is 

 done, she, or another bee if she is too much fatigued 

 with her day's labour, enters the cell with her head 

 first, and remains there some time ; she is engaged in 

 diluting the pellets, kneading them, and packing them 



•Reaum. V. lis— "p. 38. ' ubi supr. il9. 



