340 miner's AMERICAN 



them separately, that the bees are kept til] evening in 

 large boxes, and then emptied out on cloths or sheets 

 in different parcels ; and that during the night, the dif- 

 ferent queens will have collected a cluster around each 

 of them, when the different families may be hived. This 

 appeared so reasonable to me, that I attempted it the 

 last season, for the first time ; and a heavy shower came 

 up suddenly, and frustrated my experiment. I had no 

 other opportunity to try it again, but I have no doubt of 

 its being practicable. 



Every person that is familiar with bees has, undoubt- 

 edly, seen them of a sudden commence the vibration of 

 their wings, standing perfectly still in the mean time. 

 This motion is generally supposed to be an expression 

 of joy, and the only manner in which they can manifest 

 it. I have carefully watched for the cause of this mo- 

 tion of their wings, and my own experience leads .me to 

 believe, that the above reason is a correct one. I will 

 give a single proof Having greatly disturbed a family 

 by turning up the hive, and removing it, by which 

 means, large numbers of bees got astray, flying around 

 in confusion, and on returning it to the stand, the bees 

 immediately flocked around it, and alighting on the floor- 

 board, commenced the vibration of their wings, as above 

 stated; and so continued some minutes. This satisfied 

 me, that it was a sensation of pleasure on again finding 

 their home. This is but one, out of many instances of 

 the same nature, that I have witnessed. 



