WILD BEES 45 



housekeeping under observation. I have kept 

 the young queens from my nests till the following 

 spring, as well as those captured in the fields late 

 in the autumn, and I have also tried with two caught 

 in the early spring, but in all cases I have failed. 

 My colonies have always been taken from the 

 meadow. 



On the sill of one of the windows of the room in 

 which I am writing is a shallow wooden box open 

 at the top, in which is estabHshed a flourishing colony 

 of humble bees, one of four which I have kept since 

 last May. This is the third season in which I 

 have had colonies of the humble bee under observa- 

 tion, and I have found them to thrive unexpectedly 

 well in London. This colony in particular has flour- 

 ished. Beneath the round moss-covered dome in 

 the centre of the box it has stored up a supply of 

 honey and pollen large for its kind, and, having 

 brought into the world a numerous progeny of 

 workers during the season, it is now hatching out 

 an unusually large number of young queens and 

 males to carry on the species next year. Bohemians 

 as these bees are, it is curious and not a little inter- 

 esting to see the intelligent active little creatures 

 so much at home here, and to watch them coming 

 to my window over the houses and trees laden with 

 spoil. It is always a pleasing duty to bring deserving 

 claims to notice, and I shall feel that I have dis- 

 charged a duty if a pretty intimate acquaintance of 

 the family affairs of the colonies which I have kept 

 under observation will enable me to say anything 

 which might tend to the removal of the badge of 

 inferiority which by common consent seems to have 

 been bestowed on the humble bee. 



