i066 )3©6hU THE HISTORY OF BEES. 
widence. Wax, both as itis gathered, and wrought inte 
‘combs, is always white, as any perfom may eafily fatisfy 
himfelf, and nothing but the age of the combs, and breath 
of the Bees, changes it’s colour. 
Moreover, itis eafy to obferve, that new {warms for 
the firft, fecond or third day, carry in little or nothing 
of this faid matter ; when in that fpace of time, they 
‘have (invifibly} conveyed into the hive fufficient quanti- 
ties of wax, formed into feveral large combs. On the _ 
contrary it is certain, that when they carry in moft a- 
bundantly of the fad matter, they collect the lefs wax, 
and the reafon is plain: the new fwarms want the wax, 
and the old ftocks want food and nourifhment for their 
young. 
This might fatisfy any perfon that this is not wax, 
yet I will add a further proof. For feveral feafons after 
I became a Bee-mafter, I was very defirous and dili- 
gent to find out how, or where, they brought home their 
wax, well knowing that grofs matter te be of a very 
contrary nature, and applied to fome other ufe, but was 
mot able, for a confiderable time, to enter into the fe- 
cret. | 
At laft, viewing a hive of Bees very bufy at labour, 
Lobferved one Bee among the reft as fhe fixed upon the 
| alighting place, of an unufual appearance; upon which 
I feized her directly, before fhe had time to enter the 
hive ; where, with a very fenfible pleafure, I found what 
Thad (till then) been in vain fearching for. Upon the 
belly of this Bee, within the plaits, were fixed no lefs 
than fix pieces of folid wax, perfectly white and tran{pa- 
rent 
