Mr. Hunters Observations on Bees. 143 
place before they came off, or if they had, that they were either 
disturbed, if it was near, or that it was at a great distance ; for, 
after hovering some time, as if undetermined, they fly away, 
mount up into the air, and go off with great velocity. When 
they have fixed upon their future habitation, they immediately 
bjsgin to make their combs, for they have the materials within 
themselves. I have reason to believe that they fill their crops 
with honey when they come away ; probably from the stock 
in the hive. I killed several of those that came away, and 
found their crops full, while those that remained in the hive 
had their crops not near so full : some of them came away with 
farina on their legs, which I conceive to be rather accidental. 
I may just observe here, that a hive commonly sends off two, 
sometimes three swarms in a summer ; but that the second is 
commonly less than the first, and the third less than the second ; 
and this last has seldom time to provide for the winter : they 
shall often threaten to swarm, but do not ; whether the threat- 
ening is owing to too many bees, and their not swarming is 
owing to there being no queen, I do not know. It sometimes 
happens that the swarm shall go back again ; but in such in- 
stances I have reason to think that they have lost their queen, 
for the hives to which their swarm have come back do not 
swarm the next warm day, but shall hang out for a fortnight, 
or more, and then swarm ; and when they do, the swarm is 
commonly much larger than before, which makes me suspect 
that they waited for the queen that was to have gone off with 
the next swarm. 
So far we have set the colony in motion. The materials of 
their dwelling, or comb, which is the wax, is the next consi- 
deration, with the mode of forming, preparing, or disposing of 
