THE HONEY-BEE. 155 



they are by no means in so complete a state of tor- 

 pidity as to eat none at all. On a mild day in win- 

 ter, when the sun shines and the wind is low,, we 

 often observe them eagerly taking advantage of this 

 favourable temperature, and coming abroad in hun- 

 dreds to enjoy themselves in the open air. If we 

 open a leaf-hive in the very depth of the cold sea- 

 son, we shall find them closely clustered together, 

 but in near contact with the provision-cells ; and 

 the whole mass moving without separating, and by 

 this means doubtless contributing to preserve the 

 general warmth. 



It has been made a question among Bee-writers, 

 ivhether a mild or a severe winter be most favourable 

 to the health and well-being of these insects ? Bon- 

 ner and others are advocates for mild winters; while 

 White, Bevan, &c., maintain that severe winters are 

 most salutary. We are of opinion that the question 

 admits not of a general determination, but that special 

 regard must be had to the state of the hives a cir- 

 cumstance which has been too little taken into ac- 

 count in the discussion. In a well-found hive, it is 

 of very little importance to the inhabitants of what 

 nature the winter may be. If it is severe, they have 

 enough of internal heat to preserve them from the 

 severity of the external atmosphere. Huber found 

 that when the thermometer in the open air stood 

 several degrees below the freezing point, it rose, when 

 plunged into a populous hive, to 86 and 88 degrees. 

 Swammerdam observes that the heat of a hive is such, 

 even in the middle of winter, that the honey never 



