184 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1751. 



come to the mouth of the hive, without any other seeming business than to take 

 the air, and show themselves, and then return into the hive again. About the 

 6th or 7th of September, he saw the last ; none were afterwards seen (Dec. 22). 

 If these insects may be compared to hornets, which they most resemble, in their 

 making and hanging up of their nest, the queens will only survive, and each in 

 the next spring be the founder of a new colony. The common wasps are under 

 the same regulation. The males die at the approach of winter, and leave but 

 few females to survive them. This is wonderfully contrived to prevent the in- 

 crease of such noxious animals ; whereas the bees, so beneficial to mankind, 

 survive the winter, unless robbed of their honey, which is their support during 

 that season. 



In the spring, finding none of the insects appeared, Mr. H. took down the 

 nest, which he found had been quite deserted. 



XXFIl. Concerning Mr. Bright, the Fat Man at Maiden in Essex. By T. 

 Cole, M.D. Dated Chelmsford, Jprd \Q, 1751, p. 188. 



Mr. Edward Bright, grocer, of Maiden in Essex, died there the 10th of 

 November 1750, in the 30th year of his age. He was a man so extremely fat, 

 and of such an uncommon bulk and weight, that there are very few, if any, such 

 instances to be found in any country, or on record in any books. He was 

 descended from families greatly inclined to corpulency, both on his father's and 

 his mother's side. He was always fat from a child, yet strong and active, and 

 used much exercise, not only when a boy, but till within the last 2 or 3 years of 

 his life, when he became too unwieldy. He could walk nimbly, having great 

 strength of muscles, and could not only ride on horseback, but would some- 

 times gallop after he became between 30 and 40 stone weight. He used to go 

 to London about his business, till the journey (40 miles) became too great a 

 fatigue to him ; so that he left it off some years before he died. In the last 

 year or two he could walk but a little way, being soon tired, and out of breath. 

 At 124- years old he weighed 144 pounds ; and before he was 20 he weighed 24 

 stone or 336 pounds. The last time he was weighed, about 13 months before 

 he died, his weight, exclusive of his clothes, was 41 stones and 10 pounds, or 

 584 pounds. What it exactly was at the time of his death, cannot be told; but 

 as it was manifestly increased smce the last weighing, if we take the same propor- 

 tion by which it had increased for many years on an average ; viz. about 2 stone 

 a year, and only allow 4 pounds addition for the last year, on account of his 

 moving about but little, while he continued to eat and drink as before, this will 

 bring him to 44 stone or 6l6 pounds neat weight. 



As to his measure, he was 5 feet 94- inches high. His body round the chest 

 just under the arms measured 5 feet 6 inches, and round the belly 6 feet 1 1 



