94 
BEE PASTURAGE. 
bees while gathering it, that I never yet saw noticed- 
I had observed during the period this plant was in 
bloom, that a number of the bees belonging to swarms, 
before the hive was full, were unable to ascend the 
sides to the comb ; there would be sometimes thirty 
or more at the bottom in the morning. On searching 
for the cause, I found from one to ten thin yellow 
scales, attached to their feet, triangular, or somewhat 
wedge shape, in size about the twentieth part of an 
inch. On the longest point or angle, was a black thread- 
like point, from a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch in 
length ; on this stem was either hooks, barbs, or a 
glutinous matter, that firmly adhered to each foot or 
claw of the bee, rendering it useless as far as climbing 
the sides of the hive was concerned. I found also 
among bees clustered outside of full hives, this orna- 
ment attached, but to them it appeared no inconveni- 
ence. Among the scales of wax and waste matter 
that accumulates about the swarms to the amount of 
a handful, I found a great many of these scales, 
which the bees had worked from their feet. The 
question then arose, were these scales a foreign sub- 
stance, accidentally entangled in their claws, or was it 
something formed there by nature, or rather an un- 
natural appendage ? It was # soon decided. From the 
number of bees carrying it, I was satisfied that if it 
was the product of any flower, it belonged to a 
species somewhat abundant. I set about a close 
examination of all such as were then in bloom. 
I found the flowers of the Silkwecd, (or Milkweed, 
as some call it,) sometimes holding a dead bee by the 
