and its Economic Management. 35 
nest, and after finding a convenient cell, in which quite 
likely pollen has already been deposited, she pushes off 
her load with the middle legs, which Cheshire has shown 
have a peculiar instrument adapted to the purpose, and 
which is passed down the hollow behind the pollen, and 
thus it is forced off into’the cell. The bee will then turn 
round and entering the cell, presses the pellets down into 
a thin layer, where probably many such are already placed, 
varying in colour according to the nature of the plant 
they may have been gathered from. It is well-known that 
the bee nearly always confines itself to one kind of flower 
when out foraging, hence its load of honey is of one kind 
only and the pollen is of one colour ; the bee-keeper may 
therefore frequently tell what his bees are working upon 
by carefully noting the colour being brought in. Thus 
mustard gives yellow pollen; white clover, brown; red 
clover, dark brown ; sanfoin, brown ; willow, yellow ; furze, 
dark orange ; dandelion, bright orange; apple blossom, 
light yellow; pear, crimson; poppy, black; blackberry, 
greenish white; borage and lamb’s-tongue, white; while 
the various garden flowers give every conceivable 
shade. 
It is but seldom a bee gathers a large load of both 
pollen and honey on one and the same journey. A pollen 
gatherer will have little honey, while those carrying the 
most honey will seldom stay for a particle of pollen, more 
than what may be brushed into honey as collected. The 
pellets are brought in most freely up till 11 am. while 
everything is moist from the dew of night ; or at any time, 
immediately after a shower, if warm. As a rule, the honey 
sources of the day are about dried up by three p.m., and the 
bees do not often work actively after that time, except in 
very still, fine weather, when it is not unusual to find bees 
working almost up to dark, if favorable crops be near. As 
