106 HISTORY OF 



habitant. The young bee soon repays their care 

 by its industry ; for as soon as ever its external 

 parts become dry, it discovers its natural appe- 

 tites for labour, and industriously begins the task, 

 which it pursues unremittingly through life. The 

 toil of man is irksome to him, and he earns his 

 subsistence with pain ; but this little animal seems 

 happy in its pursuits, and finds delight in all its 

 employments. 



When just freed from the cell, and properly 

 equipped by its fellow-bees for duty, it at once 

 issues from the hive, and, instructed only by na- 

 ture, goes in quest of flowers, chooses only those 

 that yield it a supply, rejects such as are barren 

 of honey, or have been already drained by other 

 adventurers ; and when loaded, is never at a loss 

 to find its way back to the common habitation. 

 After this first sally, it begins to gather the mealy 

 powder that lies on every flower, which is after- 

 wards converted into wax ; and with this, the 

 very first day, it returns with two large balls 

 stuck to its thighs. 



When bees first begin to break their prisons, 

 there are generally above a hundred excluded in 

 one day. Thus, in the space of a few weeks, the 

 number of the inhabitants in one hive, of mode- 

 rate size, becomes so great, that there is no place 

 to contain the new comers ; and they are scarce- 

 ly excluded from the cell, when they are obliged 

 by the old bees to sally forth in quest of new ha- 

 bitations. In other words, the hive begins to 

 swarm, and the new progeny prepares for exile. 



