MAY. 143 



The leafing of the trees is commonly com- 

 pleted in this month. It begins with the 

 aquatic kinds, such as willow, poplar, and 

 alder ; and ends with the oak, beech, and ash. 

 These are sometimes very thin of foliage even 

 at the close of May. 



BEES. Towards the end of May the bee- 

 hives send forth their earliest swarms. One 

 queen-bee is necessary to form each colony ; 

 and wherever she flies, they follow. Nature 

 directs them to march in a body in quest of a 

 new habitation, which, if left to their choice, 

 would generally be in the trunk of some 

 hollow tree. But man who converts the 

 labours, and instincts of so many animals to 

 his own use, provides them with a more secure 

 dwelling and repays himself with their honey. 

 There is something very picturesque in the 

 manner of reclaiming the swarms of bees. 

 Their departure is announced for a day or 

 more before it takes place by an unusual bustle 

 and humming in the hive. Some person, com- 

 monly a boy, is set to watch, and the moment 

 their flight is proclaimed, a ringing is com- 

 menced upon a pan, or fire-shovel, which, as 



