THE SWARM 

 and as it is manifestly impossible for us 

 to fathom the thought of the bees, we 

 can only interpret in human fashion the 

 spectacle that they present. We may 

 regard it as probable, therefore, that most 

 careful attention is given to the reports of 

 the various scouts. One of them it may be, 

 dwells on the advantage of some hollow 

 tree it has seen ; another is in favour of 

 a crevice in a ruinous wall, of a cavity 

 in a grotto, or an abandoned burrow. 

 The assembly often will pause and delib- 

 erate until the following morning. Then 

 at last the choice is made, and approved 

 by all. At a given moment the entire 

 mass stirs, disunites, sets in motion, and 

 then, in one sustained and impetuous 

 flight, that this time knows no obstacle, 



[112] 



