422 INSECTS. 



elaborate accounts that have reached us upon its economy, are Mr* 

 John Hunter's, given in the Philosophical Transactions for 1792, 

 and M. Huber's, contained in his Nouvelles Observations sur les 

 AbeilleSy addressed to M. Bonnet, the celebrated author of the 

 " Contemplations de la Nature." The description we are now 

 about to offer shall be drawn up from both these. 



" There are three periods, observes Hunter*, at which the his- 

 tory of the bee may commence : first in the spring, when the queen 

 begins to lay her eggs ; in the summer, at the commencement of a 

 new colony; or in the autumn, when they are going into winter- 

 quarters. I shall begin the particular history of the bee with the 

 new co'ony, when nothing is formed ; for it begins then every 

 thing that can possibly happen afterwards. 



" When a hive sends off a colony, it is commonly in the month 

 of June, but that will vary according to the season ; for in a mild 

 spring bees sometimes swarm in the middle of May, and very often 

 at the latter end of it. Before they come off, they commonly 

 hang about the mouth of the hole, or door of the hive, for some 

 days, as if they had not sufficient room within for such hot weather, 

 which I believe is very much the case ; for if cold or wet weather 

 come on, (hey stow themselves very well, and wait for fine weather. 

 But swarming appears to be rather an operation arising from ne- 

 cessity, for they would seem not naturally to swarm, because if 

 they have an empty space to fill, they do not swarm ; therefore by 

 increasing the size of the hive, the swarming is prevented. This 

 period is much longer in some than in others. For seme even- 

 ings before they come off, is often heard a singular noise, a kind 

 of ring, or sound of small trumpet ; by comparing it with the notes 

 of the piano-forte, it seems to be the same sound with the lower A 

 of the treble. 



66 The swarm commonly consists of three classes ; a female, or 

 females! ; males, and those commonly called mules, which are 

 supposed to be of no sex, and are the labourers ; the whole about 

 two quarts in bulk, making about six or seven thousand. It is a 



* We quote him with Dr. Shaw's occasional abridgements and variations. 



Editor, 

 t " I have reason to believe that never more than one female comes off with 

 a swarm." 



