PHYSIOLOGY. 289 



MR. TALBOT, in his Five Years Residence in the 

 Canadas, states, that during the summer of 1820, 

 the Rev. Ralph Leeming having sent a fine horse 

 to grass at a neighbouring farmer's, who kept 

 about twenty stocks of bees, the animal got upon 

 the lawn where the hives were placed, and by ac- 

 cident overturned one of them, the bees of which 

 attacked him with great virulence. The horse, 

 rearing and kicking from agony, overthrew another 

 hive. Having thus doubled the number of his 

 assailants, his sufferings brought him to the ground, 

 and in less than five minutes from the commence- 

 ment of the attack the poor animal was literally 

 stung to death. 



The anger of bees is not confined to man, and 

 other large animals ; it is sometimes vented upon 

 their own kind, not only in single combat, but in 

 conflicts of organized masses. Cases of the former 

 kind every observer must have noticed ; and of 

 the latter, several instances have been related by 

 REAUMUR, THORLEY, KNIGHT, and others. The 

 engagement, witnessed by THORLEY, lasted more 

 than two days, and originated in a swarm's at- 

 tempting to take possession of an already occupied 

 hive. Remarkable battles of this kind have also 

 been related by other writers. Whenever the 

 angry excitation is diffused through a whole com- 

 munity, a great accession of heat is produced in 

 the hive. 



