PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 185 
reserve, and stored up against bad weather or a bad sea- 
son: these are covered with a waxen lid?. 
The pollen is employed as circumstances direct. When 
the bee laden with it arrives at the hive, she sometimes 
stops at the entrance, and very leisurely detaching it by 
piecemeal, devours one or both the pellets on her legs, 
chewing them with her jaws, and passing them then down 
the little orifice before noticed. Sometimes she enters 
the hive, and walks upon the combs; and whether she 
walks or stands, still keeps beating her wings. By the 
noise thus produced, which seems a call to some of her 
fellow-citizens, three or four go to her, and placing them- 
selves around her, begin to lighten her of her load, each 
taking and devouring a small portion of her ambrosia: 
this they repeat, if more do not arrive to assist them, 
three or four times, till the whole is disposed of’. Wild- 
man observed them on this occasion supporting them- 
selves upon their two fore feet; and making several mo- 
tions. with their wings and body to the right and left, 
which produced the sound that summoned their assist- 
ants®. ‘This bee-bread, as I said before, is generally 
found in the second stomach and intestines, but the honey 
never ; which induced Reaumur to think (but he was mis- 
taken) that the bees elaborated wax from it: and he ob- 
serves, that the bees devour.this when they are busily en- 
gaged in constructing combs’. When more pollen is 
collected than the bees have immediate occasion for, they 
store it up in some of the empty cells. The laden bee 
puts her two hind legs into the cell, and with the inter- 
a Reaum. v. 448, b Ibid. v. 418-- 
ON Sisk d ybi supr. 419. 
