12 



THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



they may be induced to keep bees for them- 

 selves, and thus attain a practical knowledge 

 of all their wonders. Let us suppose it is in 

 the month of June, a bright sun shining, and 

 the busy bees pouring in and out, in an 

 untiring stream from their hives. At one 

 hive we notice the bees are hardly working 

 at all, but hanging outside in large clusters, 

 upon applying an ear to the hive itself we can 

 hear a piping sound, this tells us the hive 

 will swarm. Let us sit down and watch it, 

 all is calm, the bees seem as if they were 

 going to sleep, when all of a sudden those 

 outside the hive became evidently agitated, 

 run hither and thither, the temperature of 

 the hive rapidly rises. From the entrance a 

 wild stream of bees pour, in an unceasing 

 current, and taking wing, whirl hither and 

 thither in the air. Watch them closely, and 

 they will be seen gradually to converge to 

 some bough of a neighbouring bush, until, in 

 a short time, they have formed themseives 

 into a dark bundle ot living insects, the one 

 clinging to the other by means of their legs. 

 This is called a swarm of bees, and it has 

 taken place because the hive was too small 

 for the rapidly increasing population. The 

 old queen has flown with the swarm, leaving 

 the old hive rather bare of bees, but ere the 

 day is over, a large number of young bees 

 will hatch out, and in a few days the normal 

 number will be again reached, and often 

 again become so great that a second, and 

 even a third, swarm will take place, but this 

 is not to be denied. I will now follow the 

 fortunes of the swarm, and thus tell you the 

 economy of these wondrous little things. 

 The swarm being safely hived, the Bees at 

 once form themselves into a large cluster 

 from the top of the hive, from this cluster 

 threads of bees hang in festoons to different 

 points. These Bees are beginning the im- 

 portant operation of wax-making. They 

 cluster for the purpose of heat, else they 

 could not work the wax. Wax is produced 

 inside the Bee from honey, and exudes in 

 little plates from underneath the abdomen, 



it is seized by the Bee, kneaded in its man- 

 dibles, and then by it placed roughly along 

 the line from which the first comb will hang. 

 Bee after bee deposits its load of wax, and 

 gradually it is formed into foundations of 

 cells. This foundation is added to hour by 

 hour with marvellous rapidity, until in 24 

 hours I have taken away a piece of partially 

 formed comb about the size of my hand. 

 Certain others of the bees are busy collecting 

 honey, pollen, and propolis for food, &c, all 

 this time, and the Queen is busy at her life 

 work, ovipositing, even in the cells only half 

 formed. 



(To be continued.) 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



By J. E. Robson ; with figures from life by 

 S. L. Mosley. 

 (Assisted by Contributors to the Y. N.) 



15, SELENE, W. V. PI. 10, Fig. 1, 

 The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. 



" Selene, W. V., Selene, the name for Luna, 

 the Moon." — A. L. 



ImagO.— PI. 10, Fig. 1, Upper and under- 

 side. Fulvous spotted and marked with 

 black. Underside. Fore wing similar ; a 

 few light spots along the hind margin, and 

 two brown marks near the tip. Hind wing 

 pale yellow, with several brown marks. A 

 row of silver spots along the hind margin, 

 and several other silver spots about the centre and 

 base of the wing. 



Larva. — We know nothing of the larva of 

 this species, but it is said to be black, with 

 grey markings, the spines being rather orange 

 colored at the base, with black tips. Head 

 and legs black, claspers dull red. 



Pupa. — Quite unknown to us. 



Food Plants. -Dog Violet (Viola can- 

 ina) is the only food named by the various 

 authors to which we have access, but all 

 English writers that we know of have copied 

 from Continental authorities. 



