Insects. 



1355 



they would doubtless be found far more valuable than the contents of any silver or gold 

 mine, that adventurers have been seeking for years in that section. — Texas Telegraph, 

 copied in the English papers, January and February, 1846. 



Note on Queen Bees.— As most collectors are deficient in cabinet specimens of 

 queen bees, they will be glad to have their attention directed to the following quota- 

 tion from ' My Bee Book,' p. 285, where Mr. Cotton states " If you look closely before 

 the mouths of your hives in June and July, you may pick up plenty of dead queens. I 

 myself have found ten in the front of one hive.— W. H. L. Walcott ; April 13, 1846. 



Increase and decrease in weight of a Hive of Bees. — Having been much gratified by 

 your occasional anecdotes of the honey-bee in your very interesting periodical the 

 ' Zoologist,' I am induced to forward you for publication, and so to afford gratification 

 in return, an account of the daily increase or decrease of a common straw hive, which 

 I had suspended very accurately from a " Salter's Balance ' during the whole of last 

 summer. The hive was filled on the 24th of June, 1844 with an average swarm, and 

 weighed on that day when first suspended lOlbs. 13oz. In the autumn of that year, it 

 attained the weight only of 17lbs. 10oz., which decreased to lllbs. 8oz. in February, 

 1845. From February to June 8th, it fluctuated never more than lib,, and on the lat- 

 ter day it weighed lllbs. 12oz. From this date the increase was rapid, and which I 

 will state in a tabular form. 



June. 1845. lb. oz. 



8. ... 



9. Very fine day 



10. Ditto 



11. Sunny and hot 



12. Ditto. 



13. Sunny and sultry 



14. Very sultry 



15. Cooler, heavy showers 



16. Sunny and still 



17. Sunny and hot 



18. Very rainy day 



19. Fine, sunny 



20. Sunny and warm 



21. Ditto 



22. Sunny, cold evening ... 



23. Sunshine, cold wind ... 



24. Dull, much rain 



25. Dull, windy, cold 



26. Sunny, cold air 



27. Kainy day, cold 



28. Rain and storms 



29. Very sunny and fine ... 



30. Sun, passing clouds ... 



July. 



1. Heavy rain, stormy ... 



2. Cloudy, but warm 



3. Sultry, rain, thunder ... 



4. Warm, sunny 



5. Fair, sunshine 



11 



12 





12 



14 





15 



10 





17 



12 





19 



4 





20 



4 





20 



14 





20 



15 





21 



2 





22 



5 





21 



4 



Decreased 



22 



6 





23 



10 





24 



12 





25 



5 





26 









25 



12 



Decreased 



25 



10 



Ditto 



26 



10 





26 



2 



Decreased 



25 



14 



Ditto 



27 









28 









27 



6 



Decreased 



28 









28 



1 





29 



8 





30 



9 





lib. loz. 



4oz. 

 2oz. 



8oz. 

 4oz. 



lOoz. 



