156° Of the Natural Swarming of Bees. 
had liberty fome days before fwarming, to 
roam about in fearch of a commodious habi- 
tation; which, ifonce they find, it is difficult, 
and often impoffible, to prevent them from e- 
migrating to it. When the weather is very 
favourable, the beés often, before fwarming, ’ 
fend out {couts in fearch of a proper habita- 
tion; and when they difcover a hive whofe 
bees are dead, or any empty place about the 
roof of a gentleman’s houfe, or a church, caf- 
tle, or trunk of a tree ; more efpecially, if bees — 
have wrought combs in it the fummer before, 
but have died out of it in winter, they will 
fend out a fquadron of bees, three or fourdays 
before they {warm, to clean out the place, and 
render it fit for the reception of the young co-. 
lony, the firft favourable opportunity. At 
fuch places, I have often feen a confiderable 
number of bees, bufily employed in clearing _ 
away the dead bees, broken crumbs of wax, 
and all other rubbifh; and fometimes I have ob- 
_ ferved bees from different hives, laying an equal 
claim to the newly difcovered habitation, and, 
as mankind too often do in fimilar cafes, fight- 
ing and killing each other for the uninhabited 
territory ; for, two {warms have been {een fly- 
ing 
