H»IVE-BEES. 141 



oftener they change inhabitants. Every bee-grub, 

 before its metamorphosis into a nymph, fastens its 

 skin to the partitions of its cell, but in sucli a man- 

 ner as to make it correspond with the hues of the 

 angles, and without in the least disturbing the i-egula- 

 rity of the figure. During summer, accordingly, the 

 same lodging may serve for three or four grubs in 

 succession; and in the ensuing season it may accom- 

 modate an equal number. Kach grub never fails to 

 fortify the panels of its chamber by arraying them 

 with its spoils and the contiguous cells receive a si- 

 milar augmentation from its brethren.* Ruaumur 

 found as many as seven or eight of these skins 

 spread over one another: so that all the cells being 

 incrusted with six or seven coverings, well dried and 

 cemented with propolis, the whole fabric daily ac- 

 quires anew degree of solidity. 



It is obvious, however, that by a repetition of this 

 process the cell might be rendered too contracted; 

 but in such a case the bees know well how to pro- 

 ceed, by turning the cells to other uses, such as ma- 

 gazines for bee-bread and honey. It has been re- 

 marked, however, that in the hive of a new swarm, 

 during the months of July and August, there are 

 fewer small bees or nurse-bees, than in one that has 

 been tenanted four or five years. The workers, in- 

 deed, clean out the cell the moment that a young 

 bee leaves its cocoon, but they never detach the 

 silky film which it has previously spun on the walls 

 of its cell. But though honey is deposited after the 

 young leave the cells, the reverse also happens; and 

 accordingly when bees are bred in contracted cells, 

 they are by necessity smaller, and constitute, in fact, 

 the important class of nurse^bees. 



We are not disposed, however, to go quite so far as 

 an American periodical writer, who says, " Thus we 



* Spectacle de la Nature, vol. i. 



