tt4 NATURAL HISTORY. 
When all parts of the Aurelia have acquired the confiftence propé? 
to the parts of the Bee; then that which is to appear, opens its prifony 
by piercing with its teeth, the waxen cover about its middle. The 
Bees which perceive that which is coming to light, flock about it, and 
feem to exprefs their joy, that they are going to be metamorphofed# 
and this they difeover by their good offices. ‘Two or three of them 
lick and clean all its fides with their trunks, and fome of them feed 1 
with honey. Others again begin immediately to cleanfe the cell that 
has been jult left; and carry away the filth out of the hive. As foot 
as the external parts of the young Bee become dry, it begins to difco- 
“ver what employment it is to have during life ; for it immediately pro- 
ceeds out of the hive, and goes in queft of flowers; and is not at al 
at a lofs to find its way back to the common habitation. After this 
firft fally, it begins fometimes to gather the powder of the ftlaminai 
and Maraldi affares ws, that le has feen one of thefe, on the very day 
it came into the world, return back with two large balls of this fub- 
flanees When the Bees firft begin to break their prifons, there is gene 
tally above 100 of them ima day ; infomuch that in the fpace of a few 
weeks, the number of the inhabitants becomes fo great, that the hivé 
cannot contain them; and then they begin to falley out in fwarm% 
Young Bees are the browneft, with white hair; and the old are of # 
lighter colour, with red hair. The fwarm is made on purpofé to fee# 
out a new fettlement; and that the head of it, is the queen; for on 
of thefe is fuficient to condué the whole fwarm. About five or fit 
days after the birth of a female Bee, fhe is ready to lay her eggs, a0 
confequently is in a condition to place herfelf at the head of thofe tha" 
are difpofed to follow her. 
In different countries, the fwarms make their fally at different times? 
and in the fame country, they leave the hives fometimes fooner, a® 
fometimes later. There are feveral figns, which foretel when the Be 
are going to fwarm; but the moft certain is, when the working Bees 
do not fly into the fields, in their accuftomed numbers; though the 
weather feems to invite them. The time is from ro in the morning? 
till 3 in the afternoon, that the fwarms leave the hives. When thé 
fun {hines bright, efpecially upon the hive, it invites the Bees to fet 
their fortune; for the heat has a great influence in this procedure, a? 
renders the number more sees Seri In lefs than a minute, alt 
thofe that are to compofe the f{warm, leave the hive and flutter in t 
air, like flakes of fnow. However it does not appear that the quee® 
chufes the place where they are to alight; for feveral of the Bee 
which are pleafed with a particular branch of a tree, go and ertle 
_thereon; and they are followed by many others, as well as the quee® 
herfelf; but fhe does not join them, till there are a great number yi 
gether. When it comes to be pretty large, then it {oon is highly a 
creafed ; infomuch that in about a quarter of an hour, they all feem ° 
be at eafe. Sometimes when they leave the hive, they rife fo high 2 
the air, that they get out of fight; and to make them come dow?! 
they throw handfuls of fand or duft after them. Some fuppofe tha” 
the Bees take the grains of fand for drops of rain; but it is the cO 
mon method to beat brafs kettles and pans, as foon as ever they pee 
eeive the fwarm ready to fly. It is pretended, that the ss i 
