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well amongft the younger as the older Bees; 
for the young follow the new-born female, 
and the others remain with the elder; nay, 
many both old and young hang together idly 
round the fame female. This divifion into ‘par- 
ties is not owing either to choice, or any ruling 
power or authority among the Bees, nor is it 
performed with thofe fancied ceremonies of 
honour, and a numerous retinue of old and 
venerable Bees ranged in order, accompanied 
with the harmonious founds of trumpeters, 
hautboys, and muficians, or in the tremendous 
prefence of executioners f{tanding around, as 
authors have feigned, ingenioufly indeed, but 
derogatory to nature. Nothing like this is the 
cafe: there is doubtlefs implanted in them a 
concern for breeding up their young, which 
inftinét makes the Bees flock in this manner 
round the female: nor have the tribe of 
flaves, I mean the working Bees, any other 
task aftigned them, as they are capable of 
being moved by that incentive only, and direct 
all their actions to that end, though in truth 
the labour is very great, which they muft un- 
dergo in breeding up the young, and continual 
ly building the cells deftined for them. How- 
ever they are amply repaid, fince in their 
turn, in place of a rich reward, they feed on 
delicious honey, which they collect with in- 
defatigable diligence ; for nature, in this their 
wretched ftate of life, makes every thing to 
be purchafed with labour. I could wifh there- 
fore that this example had the weight it de- 
ferves, in inftruting and teaching us that God 
might be glorified in all his works. 
Were the working Bees furnifhed with the 
organs of generation, or any thing analogous 
to them, we might conclude, not without 
probability, from their actions, that they were 
actuated with the moft ardent luft to the act 
of generation, and folely by this incentive 
animated to perform the feveral tasks affigned 
them. But fince they are fupplied with none 
of the parts requifite for that office, they can 
have nothing elfe in them, but an innate de- 
fire for the propagation of their {pecies, which 
infames them with fo earneft a concern for 
breeding up the young, and with fo fingular 
an affection towards the female, the common 
parent of all. This will appear evidently, if 
you take this queen out of the hive, and tie 
her to the end of a ftick, by a thread run 
through one of her wings, and then fuffer the 
{warm of Bees to fly about her; for they, 
following the queen clofely, will all of them 
by degrees fettle on the ftick, and by the help 
of their legs cling to one another moft fur- 
prifingly, fo that they refemble, as it were, a 
complete bunch of grapes. When they are 
piled up together after this manner, they will 
fuffer themfelves quietly to be carried up and 
down overa whole garden, nor do the work- 
ing Bees in the mean while ftir from their 
queen, as I myfelf found by a careful experi- 
ment I made. If at this time any other Bees 
fly up to this numerous clufter, an obferver 
The ™B O10 KY 6b? NAS Ua AE on 
will fee plainly, that they immediately fearch. 
after the queen with fuch anxiety, that even 
from hence fufficiently appears the prodigious 
affection they have for her, and for the propa- 
gation of their fpecies ; for they endeavour 
to make their way through the middle of the 
bunch, as it were, that they may reach the 
female. In a little time afterwards they give 
over their attempt, and then, without inter- 
miffion, continue flying from and back again 
to the clufter. From thefe obfervations there- 
fore it is altogether manifeft, that the actions 
of Bees’ of the three kinds, male, female, and 
eunuchs, {pring from no other caufe, but from 
a vehement and ardent coricern, by which 
they are carried to the generation, preferva- 
tion, and raifing of the brood, which, as it is 
alone the principle, fo likewife is it the end 
of every thing the Bees do. If after this the 
female be loofed again from the ftick, and 
immediately put into a drinking glafs, placed 
onthe ground, or on a piece of tile, the reft 
of the Bees, toa fingle one, will inftantly fur- 
round her again, and befet the place where 
fhe is in fuch throngs, that one can fee nothing 
but Bees covering it on every fide. From all 
this I think it may be inferred, not without an 
appearance of truth, that the female emits a 
very ftrong fcent, by which the reft of the 
Bees are attraéted to her. I obferved this moft 
evidently when I had fhaken the ftick, and had 
laid the female in the manner ahovementioned 
on a table, inan open arbour, at fome diftance 
from them. For this reafon I formerly, before 
I was acquainted with the true ftructure of the 
common Bees, compared them to a parcel of 
Dogs, which follow the female in her time 
of luft, excited by the bare {cent ; however, ] 
will not deny, but that there may perhaps be 
fomething elfe befides the fcent in this affect- 
ion of the common Bees, by which they are 
fo greatly affected: they feem to imitate in 
fome manner creatures that have been gelt, 
which, though they can do nothing, are not- 
withftanding inflamed with a prodigious lutt 
for the female. . 
As therefore it is generation alone by which 
the Bees are excited to all their actions, fo this 
great caufe, whenever it happens to be inter- 
rupted, is the fole motive from whence all the 
confufion at times obferved in the hives arifes. 
If the female Beebe barren, or maimed, crippled, 
blind, or deprived of its wings, neither honey 
nor wax will be collected, nor will the eggs be 
laid in the cells. There is in this cafe no occa- 
fion for building cells for rearing up the 
brood. But if the female be properly perfect, 
every thing is done in due order, and as the ~ 
poet fays, 
«¢ While the fovereign is fafe, all live in 
“ perfect harmony. ” Virg. 
A great difturbance is alfo to be obferved, 
whenever there chance to be two females in 
one hive, and one after another lays its egg 
in 
