ON INSECTS. 57 



snails got into the same hive. It was soon stung 

 to death; but, instead of covering it and its 

 shell over with wax, they merely glued the edge 

 of the latter to the board of the hive, and thus 

 left it, as no unpleasant smell could issue from 

 it, which would not have been the case with the 

 slug had it not been cased over with wax. Was 

 there not reason in this? 



I had a hive of bees which was attacked by 

 wasps, who wanted to get at their honey. In 

 order to defend the entrance to the hive, they 

 made a sort of fortification of wax behind the 

 hole of entrance, leaving only two or three small 

 passages just sufficient to enable one bee to pass 

 at a time, so that they could defend themselves 

 against the wasps with great ease. 



When the heat on the inside of a hive is so 

 great that the wax is in danger of melting, a 

 number of bees will collect at the bottom of 

 the hive, and move their little wings with 

 such rapidity, that they can create as great a 

 circulation of air as a lady would do in fanning 

 herself. 



In very hot countries, such as the West Indies, 

 bees alter their mode of laying up their store of 

 honey. If they placed it in cells at the top of 



