broke up; and therefore it would be beft ordered to keep a parcel of Lands fo planted with Saffron, that the full Crops might gradually fucceed one another, But if the blew Spring Crocus answers the End I propofe, the Crop is much more certain, and its Culture ftill more eafie. In dear Years, it has been fold for upwards of five Pounds per Pound, and in fome Years for a Guinea; but however it be, the Cultivater is still a Gainer by it.

CHAP.

CHA P. XI.

An Account of Bees, the Manner how they gather their Wax and Honey, of the Structure of their Combs, their Manner of breeding and fwarming; with variety of curious Obfervations relating to their Oeconomy, by Mr. Maraldi; as alfo fome Sentiments, which may be useful to fuch as either have, or defign to build, Bee-houses, or Study the Advantages of a well managed Apiary.

TH

HE Naturalifts acknowledge, that Bees thin are the most wonderful of all Infects: The Inftinct they have to feed upon Flowers, and to gather Honey and Wax from them; the Order they obferve in their different Occupations, their Government, Industry, and admirable Skill in carrying on their Work; in a Word, all the Difpofitions that are to be found among those Animals, have engaged the Attention both of the antient and modern Philofophers.

Ariftomachus, amongst the Ancients, fpent eight and thirty Years in Contemplation of them; and Hillifeus) retir'd into the Woods,

that he might have the more Opportunity to obferve them: Those two Philofophers, according to the Account given us by Pliny, wrote of the Nature of Bees; and they were the Perfons, perhaps, who taught others how to order them, to provide Hives for them, and reap great Advantages from them.

We are beholden to Ariftotle for the curious and useful Obfervations he has left us concerning this Infect, which Virgil has beautify'd, and put into Latin Verse: These Obfervations were afterwards confirm'd and improv'd by Pliny, and several ancient Philofophers.

Among the Moderns, Prince Frederick Cefi, the Inftitutor and Principal of the Roman Academy of Sciences, towards the beginning of the last Century, wrote a Treatise concerning Bees, as Fabius Columna informs us, which he prefented to Pope Urban VIII. and gave us Hopes it fhould be printed, with a Description of the Parts of this Animal, by the help of

Mifcroscope of Stelluti, a Member of the fame Academy; but we know not what is become of that Work, no more than the Anatomy of this Animal promised us several Years ago by Swammerdam.

We have, notwithstanding the Obfervations that have been made by fo many learned Perfons, not declin'd to examine this Part of Nature, wherein we have been infenfibly engaged, both by the Pleasure we have had in fo curious a Study, and by the Conveniency of a great Number of Glafs-Hives in M. Caffini's Garden, adjoyning to the Obfervatory. As feveral of the Moderns, as well as the Ancients, have treated of the Methods how to manage thefe Animals

Animals in point of Profit, we shall wave that for the prefent, and content ourselves with inferting what we have found to be most curious concerning them.

We shall give you the Origin of Bees, the different Species in the fame Hive, the small Number of those appointed for Propagation, and the Numeroufness of those that work: We fhall explain to you how these gather Honey and Wax from Flowers, and how, being engaged in different Occupations, they affift one another in their Work: We fhall give you a Defcription of the chief Organs of Bees, and explain the Manner how they build their Cells and Honey-Combs, an ingenious and learned Piece of Architecture; most of these Obfervations have been verify'd several Times, and fully evidenced. As for others, you may easily judge of them by the Manner they are related; we must be content with Conjectures, as not being able to attain to a perfect Knowledge of them, by reason of the Difficulties which occur in fuch Inquiries: For here Nature is not only encompaffed with Obfcurities, as it is every where; but fhe has alfo arm'd against us, when we would look near into her, the Stings of the Bees, which renders them intractable.

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Of Bees, and their different Species.

TH

HE Numbers of Bees in a Hive differ according to the different Sizes of the Hives; we reckon there are eight or ten thoufand Bees in a small one, and about eighteen thousand in a large one.

We have found three different Sorts of Bees in every Hive, whether great or fmall: The first Sort is that we properly call Bees, which makes up in a Manner the whole Swarm: Thefe are the Animals, as we fhall fhew by and by, that gather the Wax from the Flowers, that work it, and make Honey-Combs and Cells of it; 'tis they that gather the Honey, and fill the Combs therewith in Summer Time, to maintain them in Winter; who take care to fupply their Young with Food fuitable to their Age, and excite a Heat, which contributes to bring them to their full Growth; laftly, these are the Creatures, whose Business it is to keep the Hive clean, and to drive away whatever may be injurious to them. All these Bees have a Sting; and of this Species, there are fome that are a little bigger than others.

The fecond Sort is what they call Drones; their Colour which is a little darker, and their Bignefs will help you eafily to diftinguish them from others; for the Drones are one third longer, and a little thicker than the Bees. Some Hives have but a fmall Number of Drones, others have many; and there are some Seafons

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