three or four more. Each worm takes particul ir 
care to fortify the pannels of it's ceil, by hanging 
up it's fpoils there; and thus the partitions being 
lined fix or eight deep, become at laft too narrow 
for a new brood, and are applied to the purpofe 
before-mentioned. Thofe cells where honey only 
is depofited, are much deeper than the reft; and, 
when the increafe of this delicious ftore happens to 
be fo great, that there is not fufficient room, for 
it, the Bees either lengthen their combs;^ or build 
others confiderably longer than the former. Some- 
times they work in three combs at a time; for, 
in that cafe, more Bees may be thus emjpioyed, 
without confufing each other. 
Honey, however, as before obferved, is not the 
only food on which thefe animals fubfift. The fa- 
rina of flowers, from which their wax is formed, is 
one of their moft favourite repafts : on this they in 
a great meafure fubfifc during the fummer; and alio 
lay up a large winter ftock of it. When the flowers 
on which Bees generally feed are not fully blown, 
and this duft, or farina, does not appear in fufficient 
quantities, they pinch the tops of the ftamina 
in which it is contained with their teeth; and thus 
anticipate the progrefs of vegetation. In April 
and May, the Bees are conftantly employed from 
morning till evening in collecting this food; but, 
in the middle of fummer, when the weather proves 
very warm, they generally relinquifli that labour 
before noon. 
. The Bee is furnifned with a ftomach for it's wax, 
as well as with one for it's honey: in the former, 
the powder is altered, digefted, and conco6led into 
real wax; and is again ejected by the fame paflage 
by which it was fvv'allowed. Every comb, when 
nev/ly formed, is white; but, as it grows old, it gra- 
dually becomes yellow, and afterwards almoft black, 
Befides the wax thus digefted, there is a large por- 
tion of the powder kneaded up for food in every hive, 
and kept in feparate cells, for winter provifion : 
this, among country people, obtains the name of 
Bee-bread; and is laid to contribute to the health 
and ftrengdi of the animals during the inclemency 
of winter. Thofe who rear Bees may rob them 
of their honey, and feed them with treacle during 
that feafon; but no proper fubftitute has yet been 
difcovered for. the Bee-bread, without which the 
infefls foon become confumptive, and die. 
The Bee extra6ts the honey from that part of the 
flower called the neftarium. From it's mouth this 
delicious fl.uid paifes into it's gullet, and from 
thence into it's firft ftomach or honey-bag; which, 
v/hen difcended, appears like an oblong bladder. 
When it has fuHiciently filled it's firft ftomach, 
it returns to the hive, where it difgorges the 
honey into one of the cells ; though it fom.etimes 
delivers it to one or other of it's fociety, at the 
mouth of the liive, ap.d inftantly Hies off for a frefli 
fupply. Some of the honeycombs are always 
left open for common ufe ; while odiers are ftopned 
up till there is a neceffity for opening them. Each 
of thefe combs is carefully covered v/ithwax; 
and fo well clofed, that the fmallefl breath of air 
cannot pofilbly gain admiffion. 
If we confider this little animal attentively, it 
v/ill appear that, after the necelTary precautions for 
the immxdiate prefervation of tire commiunity, it's 
fecond care is turned to the continuance of pofte- 
rity. How numerous foever the multitude of Bees 
in a fwarm may appear, if we credit the inqui- 
fitive and accurate Reaumur, they all derive their 
origin from or.e fmgle parent, called die queen 
Bee. It is, indeed, furpriziiig that a fmgle infe£L 
ihould, in the courfe .of one fummer, give birth to 
miore than ty/enty thoufand young; but, were we 
to open it's body, our wonder would quickly ceafe, 
as the number of eggs contained in it at one time 
fometimes amount to five thoufand. The queen, 
w'lofe exiftence is of fuch importance to her fub- 
jects, may eafily be diftinguiilied from the reft by 
her fize, as well as tlie figure of her body. On her 
prefervation depends the welfare of the whole com- 
monwealth ; and the homage paid her by all the 
reft of the fwarm indicates their great concern for 
her perfonal fecurity. If this infeft be ftudioufly 
obferved, flie will be feen, at times, attended by 
a numerous retinue, marching from ceil to cell, and 
depofidng a fmall egg in each. The Bees which 
generally com.pofe her train, are fuppofedtobethofe 
males which ferve to impregnate her by turns : they 
are larger and blacker than the common Bees, but 
are unfurniflied with fcings, have no inclination 
for labour, and feem formed merely to propagate 
the fpecles, and to attend the queen v/henever fhe 
til inks proper to ifTue from the fecret retreats of 
the liive, where flie ufually refides : on the union of 
thefe two kinds, tlierefore, all expeftations of a fu- 
tui'e progeny depend. 
Though the working Bees are of no fex, and 
only labour for another's ofl'spring, fuch is theif 
attachment to the queen, tliat, if (he happens to 
die, they inilantly intermit their labours, and take 
no farther care of pofterity. If, hov^?ever, in this 
ftate of general defpair, another queen prefents 
herfelf, they immediately recognize her as their 
fovereign, and diligently return to their former ha- 
bits of induftry. However, this extraordinary fer- 
tility of the queen Bee, and the great deference paid 
her by the reft, have been controverted by fome 
recent obfervers; who alTert, that the common 
Bees are parents themfelves ; that they depofit their 
eggs in cells previoufly prepared ; and that the fe- 
males are impregnated by the males, and bring forth 
a progeny v/holiy their own. 
When the queen Bee has depofited a fufficient 
number of eggs in the cells, the working Bees im- 
inediately undertake the care of the rifing pofterity; 
and are obferved to leave off their ufual employ- 
ments, in order either to conftru6t proper recepta- 
cles for eggs, or to compleat thofe which are al- 
ready begun. They purpofely build little cells, ex- 
tremely Iblid, for tire reception of the young brood, 
in>the conftruftion of which they ufe a great deal of 
wax. There is ufually but one egg depofited in 
each cell ; but, when the fecundity of the queen 
exceeds the num.ber of cells already prepared, there 
are fometim.es three or four eggs crowded toge- 
thei- in the lame apartment. This, however, is 
an inconvenience of which the working Bees will 
by no means admit: for, being fenfible that two 
young Bees cannot thrive properly in a fpace af- 
figned for one only, they take care to leave a fepa- 
rate cell for every egg, and either remove or de- 
flroy the iuperfluous ones. This egg is fixed to 
the bottom of the cell, and touches it in a fingle 
point; and, a day or two after it has been depofit- 
ed, the worm protrudes itfelf from the fhell, and 
exliiblts tlie appearance of a maggot rolled up in 
a ring, and lying foftly on a bed of a whitifh-co- 
loured jelly, on Vv'hich the little animal begins to 
feed. The working Bees now attend it with the 
iTioft anxious and parental tendernefs; furnifliing 
it very fi-equendy with a fupply of this whitifh lub- 
ftance, and watching the cell with unremitting 
