3520 Insects. 



Further Continuation of the Bee-buzz. — T was much pleased with Dr. Bevan's let- 

 ter in your last number, (Zool. 3497). He is quite right as to the locus in quo, in 

 Park Street, Bristol ; — it was at the house of my friend, Mr. J. B. Estlin, where T first 

 saw the unicomb hive. I lately read in your journal for 1850 (Zool. 2960) an account 

 of the Rev. Mr. Ridsdale having witnessed the connexion of the queen bee with a 

 drone ; but it seems strange that the Reverend gentleman did not promulgate what 

 he saw until forty-six years afterwards : and the fault he appears to have committed 

 consists in not having afterwards examined the unfortunate drone which fell to the 

 ground, and sent an account of the appearances to some scientific body or person well 

 versed in Natural History. The drones in their flight ascend about 200 feet in fine 

 weather; hence the difficulty in observing anything done in the air. Huber, in his 

 experiments with queens, in order to render their vision less acute, bedaubed their eyes 

 with opaque varnish, but even this did not prevent their ascending into the air to too 

 great a height for observation. Huber's account of his experiments is extremely inte- 

 resting, but I cannot say that I agree with him about the " regular fortifications against 

 moths;'' on this subject I say, " tell that to the marines," the old " sailors know bet- 

 ter.'' Bees regularly fill up all air-holes in their hives, thus knocking down many of 

 the arguments about ventilation ; they will even fill up all the holes in the tin sliders, 

 and make pillars of propolis at different vacant places, to prevent the ingress of all sorts 

 of insects and vermin ; but I quite agree with Huish that Huber has stated too much, 

 and I am given to understand that in Germany this part of his work is not believed. 

 But a man who has discovered so much may well be forgiven for giving more than the 

 whole truth, like many travellers who have done the same thing. Huber also states 

 that hive bees attack the nests of humble bees, another remark that I am sure is incor- 

 rect : at the same time I am happy to infer that this mistake may have arisen from 

 his having taken some humble bees' nests containing honey, and leaving them exposed 

 in his own garden ; for it is an absurdity to suppose that hive bees would go a foot into 

 the earth after the honey of wild bees, or even penetrate a thick layer of moss to do so. 

 T have myself been a searcher after their nests for these fifty years, and watched them 

 in all situations, and am certain that it is an error, probably from the cause I have 

 mentioned. I cannot conclude without thanking my worthy and venerable brother 

 apiarian, Dr. Bevan, for his " wrinkle " about keeping the bees in the unicomb hive 

 through the winter. I will only say, may God spare him for some years longer ! I 

 hope he may live to see all the railroads in his neighbourhood finished ; and should 

 he change his residence once more, may he get above " flood-mark ! " Had I been near 

 enough, I should have been most happy to send him a couple of stocks to replace some 

 of those which the floods swept off. — H. W. Newman ; New House, Stroud, June 7, 

 1852. 



Wasps and Humble Bees. — These have been numerous ; I have killed upwards of 

 fifty queen wasps in April and May. The late showery weather and the cold nights 

 have been very unfavourable to the wild bees ; I have picked up a great many dead 

 ones under the chestnut-trees, and probably the wasps will suffer also. — Id. 



"Another Buzz from the Bees" continued. — I owe Mr. Newman many thanks for 

 the kind offer of his unicomb hive by way of loan, as a pattern for the construction of 

 a similar one by my carpenter. At present, however, I am not in a position to set up 

 a hive of this kind, but I shall bear his offer in mind. Touching the impregnation of 

 the queen bee, T have by me a work entitled ' The Natural History of Bees,' trans- 

 lated from the French, and published in London in 1744, from which it appears that 



