Clifton College Scientific Society. 59 



always been prized, not only on account of tlieii- own intrinsic 

 value, but as indicating the vicinity of a fertile country, 

 teeming with rich and luxuriant vegetation. To the agi-i- 

 culturist the bee is especially useful, both on account of W 

 golden treasures of the hive, and because its presence is 

 absolutely necessary for the fecundation of certain plants. 



Amongst its historians in early ages may be mentioned 

 especiaUy Aristotle and Virgil, while among those who have 

 done most in modern times to enlarge our knowledo-e of 

 bee-management, Htiber, Swammerdam, Maraldi, SchS-ach, 

 Eeaumur, Bonnet, and Hunter stand pre-eminent. The 

 genus 'Apis ' includes over 250 species, but of these the best 

 known and most studied is the ' Apis mellifica.' Our know- 

 ledge respecting bees has been of slow and gradual growth, 

 and was exceedingly limited before the discovery of glass 

 hives adapted for the observation of the internal manao-ement 

 of the stock. The tribe ' Apes ' belongs to the hymenopterous 

 order of insects and to the section Aculeata. 



The honey bee is rarely found in a wild state in this 

 country, but instances do sometimes occiu- of swarms settling 

 m hollow trees or old barns, and several swarms have been 

 known to settle in a church tower. Every swarm consists 

 of three descriptions of bees— the working bee, sometimes 

 but erroneously, called a neuter, the male or drone, and the' 

 female or queen bee. 



The working bees constitute by far the largest number of 

 the whole community ; an ordinary stock consisting of 8,000 

 working bees, scarcely as many hundred drones, and seldom 

 more than one queen. The working bees are distinguished 

 by the smalhiess of their size, and their lengthened proboscis 

 Like the drones and queen, they have fovu' wings and six 

 legs, of which the two hindermost are the longest. On the 

 outside of the middle joint of these there is a cavity, peculiar 

 to the working bees, where they stow the materials they 

 collect for making wax. Some authorities have stated that 

 the working bees divide themselves into four companies one 

 of which collects honey and wax, another builds the combs 

 a third finishes them off, while the fom-th provides food for 

 the stock : it is fui-ther asserted that these four companies 

 constantly relieve each other ; but these statements are pro- 

 bably fanciful. It is certain, however, that separate detach- 

 ments of bees have distinct duties assigned to them; for 

 instance, a number of bees form a body of pioneers 'and 

 watchmen. A few days before a queen leads off a swarm 

 some bees are sent out to select a suitable spot for the new 



