THE BEE. 285 



this crude substance into wax, it must be digested in the 

 body of the bee. Every bee, when it leaves the hive to 

 collect this precious store, enters into the cup of the flower, 

 particularly such as seem charged with the greatest quan- 

 tity of this yellow farina. As the animal's body is covered 

 over with hair, it rolls itself within the flower, and quickly 

 becomes quite covered with the dust, which it soon after 

 brushes off with its two hind legs, and kneads it into two 

 little balls. In the thighs of the hinder legs there are two 

 cavities edged with hair ; and into these, as into a basket, 

 the animal sticks its pellets. Thus employed, the bee flits 

 from flower to flower, increasing its store, and adding to 

 its stock of wax, until the ball on each thigh becomes as 

 big as a grain of pepper ; by this time having got a suffi- 

 cient load, it returns, making the best of its way to the 

 hive. After the bees have brought home this crude sub- 

 stance, they eat it by degrees ; or, at other times, three 01 

 four bees come and ease the loaded bee, by eating each of 

 them a share, the loaded bee giving them a hint so to do. 

 Hunger is not the motive of their thus eating the balls of 

 waxy matter, especially when a swarm is first hived ; but 

 it is their desire to provide a speedy supply of real wax for 

 making the combs. At other times, when there is no im- 

 mediate want of wax, the bees lay this matter up in repo- 

 sitories to keep it in store. When this waxy matter is 

 swallowed, it is by the digestive powers of the bee con- 

 verted into real wax, which the bees again disgorge as they 

 work it up into combs ; for it is only while thus soft and 

 pliant from the stomach, that they can fabricate it properly. 

 That the wax thus employed is taken from the stomach, 

 appears from their making a considerable quantity of comb 

 soon after they are hived, and even on any tree or shrub 

 where they have rested but a short while before their being 

 hived ; though no balls were visible on their legs, excepting 

 those of a few which may be just returned from the field. 

 This is farther confirmed by what happened in a swarm 



