14 
riches himself with the spoil, and the eye of the attentive 
observer who follows him, will perceive the increase of the 
little balls of pollen, (food, necessary for the bees which 
work at home,) with which he fills the cavities on the 
hinder part of the thighs; but the eye can discover no 
alteration in the flowers. ‘They lose nothing of their 
beauty, aroma, or fecundity.* : 
In fine weather, whithersoever the bee directs his flight 
and pursues his researches, he is sure to find a more or 
less abundant supply of materials for his fabrics. These 
materials he sucks into his stomach, or places on his thighs, 
back, and wings, and flies still further to increase his 
booty. Such is his ardour for amassing, that he allows of 
no relaxation in his labours, till his load is complete, for 
his return to the hive. 
As soon as the bee arrives at the hive, he discharges the 
contents of his stomachs, which are already converted into 
honey, wax, or propolis. He also discharges from his legs, 
back, and wings, the other substances which nature taught 
him, by rolling in flower cups, to collect and preserve for 
the nourishment of the interior working bees. No sooner 
‘has he discharged his burden, than he sets cut to forage 
anew. His labour is without relaxation, from sunrise till 
sunset, during the whole summer. 
Bees live in community. All those belonging to one 
hive, know each other, and never suffer strangers to join 
their society, except in the time of swarming, when several 
swarms may be united into one colony (peuplade) or fa- 
mily. Each colony is a monarchy, and has only one queen, 
to whom a thousand to eleven hundred drones (bourdons) 
are subordinate, as well asa multitude of working bees, 
more or less considerable, according to the extent of the 
colony. ; : 
All the working bees are armed, for their defence, with 
a dart or sting, fixed to the posterior extremity of the body. 
This weapon or sting is used at a great risks it is generall 
left behind, and the wound thus occasioned to the bee, 
by tearing out the intestines to which the sting is annexed, 
is always mortal. ; 
All bees, including the queen and drones, have two 
* Our author observes, that in the French empire, m'llions and 
millions of swarms m'ght subs-st, without the smallest injury to the 
produce of any kind of harvest, 
