Mr. Knight on the Economy of Bees. 237 
by swarms of bees ; and when these were destroyed , a board 
was generally fitted to the aperture which had been made to 
extract the honey ; and the cavity was thus prepared for the 
reception of another swarm, in the succeeding season. When- 
ever a swarm came, I constantly observed, that about fourteen 
days previous to their arrival a small number of bees, varying 
from twenty to fifty, were every day employed in examining, 
and apparently in keeping possession of the cavity ; for if mo- 
lested, they showed evident signs of displeasure, though they 
never employed their stings in defending their proposed habi- 
tation. Their examination was not confined to the cavity, butex- 
tended to the external parts of the tree above ; and every dead 
knot particularly arrested their attention ; as if they had been 
apprehensive of being injured by moisture which this might 
admit into the cavity below ; and they apparently did not leave 
any part of the bark near the cavity unexamined. A part of 
the colony, which purposed to emigrate, appeared in this case to 
have been delegated to search for a proper habitation ; and the 
individual who succeeded must have apparently had some 
means of conveying information of his success to others ; for 
it cannot be supposed that fifty bees should each accidentally 
meet at, and fix upon, the same cavity, at a mile distant from 
their hive ; which I have frequently observed them to do, in a 
wood where several trees were adapted for their reception ; 
and indeed I observed that they almost uniformly selected 
that cavity which I thought best adapted to their use. 
It not unfrequently happened that swarms of my own bees 
took possession of these cavities, and such swarms were in 
several instances followed from my garden to the trees : and 
they were observed to deviate very little from the direct line 
MDCCCVII. I i 
