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conscious of the deceptive nature of their pleasurable 

 feelings, and that no food could then be procured, 

 never quit their quarters, but quietly wait for a re- 

 newal of their insensibility by a fresh accession of 

 cold." This description seems exceedingly accurate 

 and just. 



It has been supposed that bees become torpid in 

 winter : this, however, is certainly a mistake ; and the 

 very phenomenon of their living in such perfectly 

 constituted societies goes far to render the opinion 

 questionable. Their very treasury of honey is a proof 

 of the same kind : why this store but for the winter of 

 the year, when not a flower unfolds and not a sweet is 

 disclosed ? " She therefore provideth her meat in the 

 summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." We 

 know but too well, that if the hive be not defended 

 against cold, or be stocked insufficiently to support a 

 genial temperature, it will inevitably perish, though 

 we have certainly restored to the hive bees that have 

 been accidentally frozen. According to Huber, the 

 warmth of a well-tenanted hive in winter is 86 Fahren- 

 heit, and our own observations confirm his statement. 

 John Hunter found that a hive lost, from 10th of 

 November to 9th of February, more than 4 Ibs. in 

 weight. Ants become torpid, according to the same 

 author, at 27 Fahrenheit, but, by huddling together, 

 endeavour to preserve themselves from the severity of 

 cold. 



Respecting the torpidity of ants, we begged the 

 favour of Mr. Denny of Leeds (whose formicaries we 

 have witnessed with pleasure) to ascertain this ques- 

 tion for us last winter, and the following is an extract 

 from his letter dated 29th of December : " The 

 weather seemed favourable for ascertaining the question 

 of the torpidity of ants, as the thermometer stood at 

 E 5 



