THE HIVE BEE. 



Laborers Drones and queens. 



treasure would be carried off, for want of armed 

 guardians to protect it. 



There are three different kinds of bees in every 

 hive. The labouring bees, which make up the 

 far greatest number, and are thought to be nei- 

 ther male or female, but merely born for the 

 purposes of labour, and continuing the breed, by 

 supplying the young with prov sions, while yet 

 in their helpless state. Also the drones, which 

 are of a darker colour, longer, and more thick 

 by one third than the former; these are supposed 

 to be the males; and there are not above a hun- 

 dred of them, in a hive of seven or eight thou- 

 sand bees. The third sort is called queen bees, 

 and are said to lay all the eggs from which the 

 whole swarm is hatched in the season. These 

 are still larger and fewer in number; some assert 



CD ' 



that there is not above one in every swarm : but 

 this later observers affirm not to be true, there 

 being sometimes five or six in the same hive. 



This animal lives in society, and is not only 

 subject to laws, but is active, vigilant, laborious, 

 and disinterested. All its provisions are laid up 

 for the community; and all its arts in building a 

 cell, designed for the benefit of posterity. The 

 substance with which bees build their cells is 

 wax ; which is fashioned into convenient apart- 

 ments for themselves and their young. When 

 they begin to work in their hives, they divide 

 themselves into four " companies ; one of which 



