



334 THE INSECT WORLD. 
of bees. The first swarm is always led by the old queen; if other 
swarms succeed, it is the young females lately hatched who lead 
the way. 
There are many signs which announce that a swarm is going to 
take place. The appearance of the males, or drones, is one of the 
first signs. Another sign, but far from being infallible, is the 
excess of the population in the common home. The bees seem 
then to find themselves so ill at ease in their over-crowded hive, 
that part of them go out and keep outside, either on the stand 
upon which the hive is placed, or upon the hive itself. Crowds of 
bees may be seen heaped up on each other outside, only waiting 
for the signal cf departure. But the least equivocal of all the 
signs, that which points out the event for the very day, says 
Réaumur, is when the bees of a hive do not go into the country 
in as great a number as usual, although the weather may be 
favourable and seem to invite them to do so. ‘There is no sign,” 
says Réaumur, “which points out so surely that a swarm is pre- 
paring to take flight, as when in the morning, at those hours 
when the sun shines, and when the weather is favourable for 
work, the bees go out in a small number from a hive from which 
they went out in great quantities on the preceding days, and 
bring back only a little rough wax. The fact of their acting in 
this manner seems to force us to concede to bees more intelligence 
and foresight than many people are inclined to allow that they 
possess; at any rate, it is exceedingly puzzling to those who 
wish to explain all their actions by saying that they are purely 
mechanical. Does it not seem proved that from the morn- 
ing all the inhabitants of a hive have been informed of the 
project which will be executed not before noon, or, perhaps, not 
for some hours afteritP..... There is a well-known story of 
an old grenadier who, being comfortably asleep while his comrades 
were pitching their tents, answered to his general, M. de Turenne, 
when questioned on the subject, ‘that he knen very well that 
the army mould not remain long in the camp they were pitching.’ 
‘‘ All our bees, or nearly all, seemed to have forescen the move 
that their queen was about to make, as that old soldier had fore- 
seen the general’s order to his army.’”* 
* “ Mémoires pour servir 4 I’ Histoire des Insectes,” tome v., p. 611. 

