220 GENERAL HONEY HARVEST. 



would have died of hunger had he not succoured 

 them. In the meantime, while matters were going 

 on so badly at Cour, the bees at Kenan, Chabliere, 

 Vaux, Cery, &c. places at the distance of only half- 

 a-league, were living in the greatest abundance, 

 threw numerous swarms, and filled their hives with 

 honey and wax." This fact serves as an evidence 

 that the flight of a bee, in ordinary cases, is less than 

 two English miles ; though we readily admit that in 

 some rare, though well authenticated instances, they 

 have been known to fly double that distance. The 

 general fact is farther confirmed by the following 

 sentence in Huber's letter : (t If my bees," he says, 

 "could have cleared the interval which separated 

 them from the places where they would have found 

 provisions, they would assuredly have done so, rather 

 than die of hunger. They succeeded no better at 

 Vevai, although it is not more than half-a-league 

 from that place to Haute ville, Chardonne, &c., where 

 they throve remarkably well." 



General Honey-Harvest About the beginning 

 or middle of September, the transported hives are 

 brought back to their usual station ; and in a few days, 

 according to circumstances, the general honey-har- 

 vest commences. The bees have relaxed greatly in 

 their labours, the fields no longer tempt them to go 

 a-foraging, and already the little economists are 

 forced to break in on their winter stores. The hives, 

 therefore, designed to be reserved as winter stocks, 

 must be inspected and weighed. Every one which 

 weighs not fifteen or sixteen Ibs., exclusive of empty 



