70 
THE HONEY-MAKERS. 
load from the same kind of flowers; hence 
some enter the iiive with red pellets, otiiers with 
yellow ones, others with green ones, and some 
with pellets of a whitish hue. Most diligent are 
they in this service. In April and May, they col- 
lect it from morning to evening ; hut in the warm 
months, they gather it from the time of first leav- 
ing the hive, sometimes as early as four in the 
morning, to about ten o’clock. All that enter 
the hive about that time may be seen with pellets 
in their baskets; during the rest of the day it 
is brought in more rarely, unless the swarm is 
recently established. In a large hive, a pound 
is sometimes brought in a single day. 
The bee laden with pollen, on its return, some- 
times stops at the entrance of the hive, and very 
leisurely detaches its load by piecemeal, and de- 
vours one or both the pellets on its legs. At 
others, she enters the hive and walks upon the 
combs; always, whether standing or walking, 
beating with her wings. The noise thus made 
seems to be a call for help ; three or four bees 
advance, place themselves around the newly ar- 
rived, and begin to lighten it of its load, each 
