Zoological Proceedings of Societies. 49}) 



Art. LXII. Proceedings of Learned, Societies on subjects 

 connected toith Zoology. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



May 22, 1828. — A letter was read from Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq., 

 addressed to the President, coxvi-dAx\\x\2, An account of some Circumstances 

 relating to the Economy of Bees. 



In a former Paper, the authour stated his having observed that, several 

 days previously to the settling of a swarm of Bees in the cavity of a hol- 

 low tree adapted for their reception, a considerable number of those in- 

 sects were incessantly employed in examining the state of the tree, and 

 particularly of every dead knot above the cavity which appeared likely to 

 admit water. He has since had an opportunity of noticing, that the bees 

 who performed this task of inspection, instead of being the same indi- 

 viduals, as he had formerly imagined, were in fact a continual succession 

 of different bees : the whole number in the course of three days being 

 such as to warrant the inference, that not a single labouring bee ever 

 emigrates in a swarm without having seen its proposed future habitation. 

 He finds that the same remark applies not only to the permanent place of 

 settlement, but also to the place where the bees rest temporarily, soon 

 after swarming, in order to collect their numbers. 



The swarms which were the subjects of Mr. Knight's experiments 

 showed a remarkable disposition to unite under the same queen. On one 

 occasion, a swarm which had arisen from one of his hives settled upon a 

 bush, at a distance of about twenty-five yards ; but instead of collecting 

 together into a compact mass, as they usually do, they remained thinly 

 dispersed for nearly an hour, after which, as if tiered of waiting, they 

 singly, and one after the other, and not in obedience to any signal, arose 

 and returned home. The next morning a swarm issued from a neigh- 

 bouring hive, and proceeded to the same bush upon which the other bees 

 had settled on the preceding day, collecting themselves into a mass, as 

 they usually do when their queen is present. In a few minutes afterwards 

 a very large assemblage of bees rushed from the hive from which the 

 former swarm had issued, and proceeded directly to the one which had 

 just settled, and instantly united with them. The authour is led from 



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