"What may be called the complete process of the egg, namely, from the tune of laying to the birth of the bee, (that is, the time of hatching) the life of the maggot, and the life of the crysalis, is, t believe, shorter than in, most insects. It is not easy to fix the time when the eggs hatch : I have been led to imagine it was in five days. When they hatch, we find the young maggot lying coiled up in the bottom of the cell, in some degree surrounded with a transparent fluid. In many of the cells, where the eggs have just hatched, we find the skin standing in its place, either not yet removed, or not pressed down by the maggot. There is now an additional employment for the la bourers, namely, the feeding and nursing the young maggots. We may suppose the queen has nothing to do with this, as there are at all times labourers enough in the hive for such purposes, especially, too, as she never does bring the materials, as every other of the tribe is obliged to do at first ; therefore she seems to be a queen by hereditary, or rather by natural, right, while the humble-bee, wasp, hor net, &c, seem rather to work themselves into royalty, or mistresses of the commu nity. The bees are readily detected feed ing the young maggot ; and, indeed, a young maggot might easily be brought up by any person who would be attentive to it. They open their two lateral pincers to receive the food and swallow it. As they grow, they cast their coats or cuti cles; but how often they throw their coats, while in the maggot state, I do not know. The maggots grow larger and larger till they nearly fill the cell ; and by this time they require no more food, and are ready to be inclosed for the crysalis state ; when ready for the crysalis state, the bees cover over the mouth of the cell with a substance of a light brown colour, much in the same manner that they cover the honey, excepting that, in the present instance, the covering is convex exter nally, and appears not to be entirely wax, but a mixture of wax and farina. The maggot is now perfectly inclosed, and it begins to line the cell and coveting of the mouth above-mentioned with a silk it spins out, similar to the silk-worm, and which makes a kind of pod for the chrysalis.
Having completed this lining, they cast off or rather shove ofF, from the head backwards, the last maggot coat, which is deposited at the bottom of the cell, and then they become chrysalises.
" In this state they are forming them selves for a new life : they arc either en tirely' new built, 01' wonderfully changed, for there is not the smallest vestige of the old fbrm remaining ; y et it must be the same materialsfor 110W 110111111g is taken in.
How far this change is only the old parts new modelled, or gradually altering their form, is not easily determined. To bring about the change, many parts must be re. moved, out of which the new ones are probably formed. As bees are not dif krent in this state from the common fly ing insects in general, I shall not pursue the subject of their changes further, al though it makes a very material part in the natural history of insects.
" When the crysalis is formed into the complete bee, it then destroys the cover ing of its cell and conies forth. They are of a greyish colour, but soon turn brown.
" When the swarm of which I have hitherto been giving the history- has come off early, and is a large one, more espe cially if it was put into too small a hive, it often breeds too many for the hive to keep through the winter ; and in such ease a new- swarm is thrown off; which, however, is commonly not a large one, and generally has too little time to com plete its comb, and store it with honey sufficient to preserve them through the winter. This is similar to the second or
third swarm of the old hives.
" I have already observed, that the new colony immediately sets about the increase of their numbers, and every thing rela ting to it. They had their apartments to build, both for the purpose of breeding, and as a store-house fbr provisions for the winter. When the season for laying eggs is over, then is the season for collecting honey ; therefore, when the last chrysalis for the season comes forth, its cell is im mediately fdled with honey ; and as soon as the cell is full, it is covered over with pure wax, as it is to be considered as store for the winter. This covering answers two very essential purposes : one is to keep it from spilling, or daubing the bees ; the other to prevent its evaporation, by which means it is kept fluid in such a warmth. They are also employed in lay ing up a store of bee-bread for the young maggots in the spring, for they begin to bring forth much earlier than probably any other insect, because they retain a summer heat, and store up food for the young, " In the month of August we may sup pose the queen, or queens, arc impregna ted by the males; and as the males do not provide for themselves, they become bur densome to the workers, awl are therefore teased to death much sooner than they otherwise would die ; and when the bees set about this business of providing their winter store, every operation is over ex cept the collecting of honey and 'bee bread. At this time it would seem as if the males were conscious of their danger, for they do not rest in the mouth of tile hive, in either going out or coming in, but hurry either in or out : however, they are commonly attacked by one, two, or three at a time : they seem to make no resist ance, only getting away 28 fast as possible. The labourers do not sting them, only pinch them, and pull them about as if to wear them out ; but I suspect it may be called as much a natural as a violent death.
" When the young are wholly come forth, and either the cells entirely filled, or no more honey to be collected, then is the time or season for remaining in their hives for the winter.
" Although I have now completed a hive, and no operations are going on in the winter months, y-et the history of this hive is imperfect till it sends forth a new /MUM.
" As the common bee is very suscepti ble of cold, we find, as soon as the cold weather sets in, they become very quiet or still, and remain so throughout the winter, living on the produce of the sum mer and autumn ; and, indeed, a cold day in the skimmer is sufficient to keep them iit home, more so than a shower in a warm day: and if the hive is thin and much ex posed, they will hardly inove in it, but get as close together as the comb will let them, into a cluster. In this manner they appear to live through the winter : how ever, in a fine day they become very lively and active, going abroad, and appearing to enjoy it, at which time they get rid of their excreinent : for I fancy they sel dom throw out their excrement when in the hive.