Hive-Bees. 117 



are assisted by their companions, who attend them at the door 

 of the hive, ease them of their load at their arrival, brush 

 their feet, and shake out the two balls of wax ; upon which 

 the others return to the fields to gather new treasure, while 

 those who disburthened them convey their charge to the 

 magazine. But some bees, again, when they have brought 

 their load home, carry it themselves to the lodge, and there 

 deliver it, laying hold of one end by their hinder feet, and 

 with their middle feet sliding it out of the cavity that con- 

 tained it ; but this is evidently a work of supererogation 

 which they are not obliged to perform. The packets of wax 

 continue a few moments in the lodge, till a set of officers 

 come, who are charged with a third commission, which is to 

 knead this wax with their feet, and spread it out into different 

 sheets, laid one above another. This is the unwrought wax, 

 which is easily distinguished to be the produce of different 

 flowers, by the variety of colours that appear on each sheet. 

 When they afterwards come to work, they knead it over 

 again; they purify and whiten, and then reduce it to a 

 uniform colour. They use this wax with a wonderful fru- 

 gality ; for it is easy to observe that the whole family is con- 

 ducted by prudence, and all their actions regulated by good 

 government. Everything is granted to necessity, but nothing 

 to superfluity ; not the least grain of wax is neglected, and if 

 they waste it, they are frequently obliged to provide more ; 

 at those very times when they want to get their provision of 

 honey, they take off the wax that closed the cells, and carry it 

 to the magazine."* 



Reaumur hesitated in believing that this was a correct view 

 of the subject, from observing the great difference between 

 wax and pollen ; but he was inclined to think the pollen 

 might be swallowed, partially digested, and disgorged in the 

 form of a kind of paste. Schirach also mentions, that it was 

 remarked by a certain Lusatian, that wax comes from the 

 rings of the body, because, on withdrawing a bee while it is 

 at work, and extending its body, the wax may be seen there in 

 the form of scales. 



* De la PI ichc, rpcctacle de la Nature, vol. i. 



