Mr. Hunter's Observations on Bees. 155 
The time between their being hatched and their being inclosed 
is, I believe, four days ; at least, from repeated observations, it 
comes nearly to that time : when ready for the chrysalis state, 
the bees cover over the mouth of the cell, with a substance of 
a light brown colour, much in the same manner that they cover 
the honey, excepting that, in the present instance, the covering 
is convex externally, and appears not to be entirely \vax, but 
a mixture of wax and farina. The maggot is now perfectly 
inclosed, and it begins to line the cell and covering of the 
mouth above mentioned, with a silk it spins out similar to the 
silk-worm, and which makes a kind of pod for the chrysalis. 
Bonnet observed, that, in one instance, the cell was too short 
for the chrysalis, and it broke its covering, and formed its pod 
higher, or more convex than common: this I can conceive 
possible ; we often see it in the wasp. Having completed this 
lining, they cast off, or rather shove off, from the head back- 
wards, the last maggot coat, which is deposited at the bottom , 
of the cell, and then they become chrysalises. 
Of the Food of the Maggot, or what is commonly called 
Bee-Bread. 
One would naturally suppose, that the food of the maggot 
bee should be honey, both because it is the food of the old ones, 
and it is what they appear principally to collect for themselves ; 
however, the circumstance of honey being food for the old 
ones is no argument, because very few young animals live on 
the same food with the old, and therefore it is probable the 
maggot bee does not live upon honey ; and if we reason from 
analogy, we shall be led to suppose the bee-bread to be the food 
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