200 INQUIRY CONCERNING 
Itis well known,” he continues, “* that where land is cul- 
tivated, bees find a greater plenty of food than in the for-. 
eft. The bloffoms of fruit trees, of grafles and grain, par~ 
ticularly clover and buck wheat, afford them a. rich and. 
plentiful repaft; and they are feen in-vaft numbers in our 
fields and.orchards at the feafons of thofe blofloms. They 
therefore delight in the neighbourhood of.‘ the white fett- 
lers,” and are able to increafe in numbers, as. well as. to 
augment their quantity of ftores, by availing themfelves 
of the labour of man. May it not be from. this, circum- 
ftance that the Indians have giventhem the name of “ the 
white man’s fly;” and that they “ confider their approach 
(or frequent appearance) as indicating the approach of the 
{ettlement of the whites ?* 
[ agree with Dr. Belknap, that the circumftance of the 
bees ‘“‘extenting themfelves a. little in advance of the 
white fettlers,” is not ‘¢ a conclufive argument” in favour 
of the opinion, that: thefe little infects. are not natives of 
America. Still, however, in my opinion, the argument 
has confiderable weight. 
It has juft been obferved that the Indians call the bee, 
the white man’s fly. Vhave always conftdered: this cir- 
cumftance as a {trong argument in fupport of Mr. Jeffer- 
fon’s affertion, that this infect is not a native of America. 
For notwithftanding the fewnefs of arts and the rude ftate 
of the fociety of thefe people, they are by no means incu- 
rious obfervers of the animals and vegetables of their coun= 
try, and they mark the progrefs of thofe which the whites 
have introduced with the moft accurate attention. Thus, 
they call the Greater-PJantainby a namewhich fignifies the 
Englifhman’s foot, and fay, that wherever an European has 
walked, this plant grows in his foot-fteps, meaning, by 
this figurative mode of exprefling themfelves, that before 
the 
* See the Differtation page 122.and 123, 
