■NATURAL HISTORY. 
237 
more, in one week’s time, than they will 
during all the reft of the year. Sometimes 
there are bees lefs laborious, who fupport 
themfelves by pillaging the reft of the hives ; 
on which a battle enfues between the induf- 
trious and the defpoiling infefts. Frequent- 
ly contentions will arife among them, when 
a new colony feek their habitation in a hive 
already occupied. Their foes are the wafp 
and hornet ; which will rip open their bel- 
lies with their teeth, in order to fuck out the 
honey contained in the bladder. ^ Sparrows, 
fometimes, are feen to take one in their bill, 
and one in each of their claws. 
Ihe neuter bees collefl; from flowers their 
honey and unwrought wax : they roll theni- 
felves over the ftamina, and thus caufe the 
dufty eflence to flick to the hairs which cover 
different parts of their bodies. Being thus 
laden, they proceed with their burden to the 
hive; where they are met by other bees, 
that fwallovv the \yax they bring ; this being 
» afterwards refined in the laboratory of 
their ftomachs, is again produced by the 
mouth, as genuine wax, in the form of 
dough, which is next moulded into cakes of 
an admirable ftruflure. 
From the ne£taricus effluvia of flowers, the 
bee collets the honey, by means of its pro- 
bofeis, or trunk; which is a moft aftonifhing 
piece of mechanilm, confifting of more 
than twenty parts. Entering the hive, the 
infetd difgorges the honey into cells, for win- 
