Bie), 
The 
Worms, whilft it was {mall and was breaking 
the cells, in which the Nymphs of the Bees 
lie, and eating the wax there, cover the Nymphs 
alfo with its excrements, infomuch that they 
could be fcarce known. To this may be added, 
that the Worm itfelf, when, in order to get 
food, it creeps every where round about the 
Nymphs, compreffes and deftroys them : this 
mifchief is oecafioned chiefly by one that is 
more grown, the body of which demands 
fomewhat more f{pace. I have learned thefe 
matters much againft my inclination, and have 
been full of indignation againft the Worm, 
when with its excrement it defiled and killed 
fome Nymphs, which I had defigned to obferve 
in their changes. 
As this Worm ufes wax for its food, its ex- 
crements are nearly of the fame nature; if they 
be received upon a thin plate of glafs, and put 
over a burning coal, they meltat firft like wax, 
but afzerwards they harden, and like the burnt 
Bee-bread, become friable between the fingers, 
Thefe excrements are of a black colour, and of 
an hexagonal figure, and when chewed they 
‘exhibit a {weetnefs and tenacity like wax: a 
tincture may be extracted from them by fpirit 
of wine, fuch as hath heen ufed to be pre- 
pared out of the excrements of forne other 
animals, and then applied to medicinal ufes, 
Nor would it indeed be difficult to gather to- 
gether a great quantity of thefe excrements; 
provided their ufe was known. After this 
Worm hath eaten fufficiently it forms, Tab. 
XXVI. fig. 11. e, to itfelf a new oval white 
web, and enclofes itfelf therein, fometimes co- 
vering the circumference with its excrements. 
Sometimes each of thefe Worms weaves fingly, 
and fometimes forty or fifty of them perform this 
work together : in fome time afterwards they 
are changed into Chryfallides or Aurelie f; fo 
that we fee they belong to the fecond method 
of the third order of natural transformations 
or accretions in the parts. Finally, thefe 
Worms having acquired the figure of Chryfal- 
lides, caft their laft skin in their webs, and at 
length creeping out of them appear winged 
animals d 6, and affume the perfect form of 
their parent Butterflies. Thele frequently pitch 
about the doors or other openings of hives, 
and as it were follicit admiffion, but they are 
very afliduoufly kept out by the Bees: they are 
indeed formidable enemies to the Bee, though 
thefe and all other fpecies of Moths, are very 
weak creatures, which may with the fingers be 
eafily reduced to duft. The Bees, however, do 
thefe Butterflies no mifchief, unlefs when they 
by their irregular flying, which is common to 
almoft all Butterflies, ftrike the Bees with their 
wings, or when they too obftinately attempt to 
creep into the hive. The fimaller {pecies of thefe 
Fy 1S WOeR LY 
- juft over the eyes. 
of IN SE C-T:S. 
Moths is of a grayifh colour, and has four 
fomewhat glittering wings, fix legs, and two 
long and fharp-pointed antenne or horns placed 
The other {pecies which is 
larger is of a more dusky colour, and has wings 
fomewhat fpotted, in the middle of which; or 
in that part where they reft upon the body, 
are feen on each fide three {mall eminences, 
compofed of feathered little fcales, formed in 
the fame manner with all the reft of the But- 
terfly feales; for they are not real feathers 
which produce thefe wonderful and very beau- 
tiful colours of the wings of thofe creatures, 
but rather fcaly little parts fupported by little 
ftalks. Aldrovandus hath delineated this {pecies 
of Butterflies, and he gives it the name of the 
hive Moth: | 
One may ask naturally why the Bees fuffer 
thefe Worms, which deftroy and confume their 
workmanthip {o terribly, to live in their hives ? 
and this feems the more ftrange, becaufe the 
Bees kill their own males about the end of 
auguit, break their wings with their teeth, and 
carty them out of the hive, nor do they leave 
them, till they are perfectly dead. Nay, they 
do not admit other Bees, nor fuffer Hornets ta 
enter their hives. The folution of this queftion 
is eafy and obvious, for the principal reafon 
confifts in this, that the female is then either 
barren; or does not lay eggs enough, and con- 
fequently does not multiply the number of the 
Bees as fhe Gught todo, or is perhaps muti- 
lated, maimed, without wings, or weakened 
by fome other means, When thefe things hap- 
pen, as the working Bees have no Worms to 
feed, or whofe cells they fhould build, or even 
when the hive is too large, on account of the 
{maller number of the Bees that inhabit it, than is 
requifite to contain them and their iflue; on any 
of thefe accounts the progeny of the Bees occu- 
pies the upper part of the hive, and the work- 
ing Bees, throwing off all care of preferving 
their cleanlinefs and neatnefs, lead a carelefs, 
idle, and irregular life, and gather but little 
honey; nay, if the males be in the hive, when 
in this condition, they by no means kill them, 
for they have nothing to mind or take care of 
but feeding themfelves, and they throw off all 
affection for the prefervation of their progeny, 
and have too much time to fly about and pro- 
vide for themfelves ; therefore, having no occu- 
pation, they live very diforderly, and will leave 
their males alive till the winter is far advanc- 
ed *. In this cafe they let the moths enter un- 
oppofed ; they will likewife fometimes creep 
underneath into the hive, that they may lay 
their eggs in the wax. This happens chiefly 
when the Bee keepers negle& to ftop up on 
every fide the lower verge of the hive, though 
the Bees themfelves fometimes take care of this 
225 
* Among the moral virtues attributed to Bees, none is more celebrated than that of their burying, as it is called, their dead, 
Thofe who firft eftablifhed this opinion, faw Bees carrying others which were dead to a diftance from the hive, but Reaumur has 
explained this, and robbed the creatures of the glory they had retained for their fuppofed charity through centuries. It appears 
hive. They carry them toa diftance, becaufe they hate a ftench. 
‘from the moft. ftri&t examination, that this is done in care for themfelves, not in regard to the dead. They often murder thofe 
they thus carry out, and when the ftores are likely to fail, they will kill even the Worms and Nymphs, and throw them out of the 
Mmm matter 
