a thin, white and smooth Membrane, which is full of a whitish Liquor.

The great Bee immediately after she has laid an Egg in one Cell, paffes with all the fame Circumstances, and with the fame Number of Attendants, to lay another in a Neighbouring Cell; and we have obferved her, in this manner, to lay eight or ten in different Cells, immediately after one another, and it may easily produce a greater Number; the retires after The has done laying, accompany'd with the fame Bees into the inner Part of the Hive, and we fee no more of her.

The Egg, which lies in the Bottom of the Cell, continues for four Days in the fame Condition, without any Alteration as to Form or Situation: But upon the Expiration of that Time, we find it changed into a Maggot, whofe Body is jointed in feveral Rings, and is folded up in fuch a manner, that the two Ends touch one another. It's then incompaffed with a little Liquor, which the Bees at the four Days end place at the folid Angle of the Bafis. What the Nature of this Liquor is cannot be known, by reafon of the Smallness of its Quantity; and fo we remain in doubt whether the fame be Honey, carry'd thither by the Bees, for the Nutriment of the Embrio, or fome other Matter proper to fructify the Sperm; for it appears to us to be more whitish, and not fo liquid and tranfparent as Honey.

But of what Nature foever this firft Liquor may be, wherewith the fmall Worm is incompaffed, it's certain that the Bees afterwards carry Honey for its Nourishment, and they bring them a greater Quantity of Food in Proportion

to

to their Growth, till the eighth Day, when they augment it fo much, that it takes up the whole Breadth of the Cell, and great part of its Length: After which the Bees take no further Care of these young ones, but stop up all the Cells which contain thofe Worms. After the stopping of the Cells the Worms remain twelve Days longer, during which the Embrio's undergo divers Changes, which we have discover'd by opening thofe Cells on different Days from the Time they were ftopt up. First, the Worms change their Situation, and instead of the Foldings that were before on the Bafis of the Cell, they extend themselves in Length, and place their Heads towards the Mouth of the Cell; the Worm's Head is a little unfolded, and we may then begin to fee some small Lengthenings, which, in my Opinion, are the firft Beginnings of the Trump; a black Point may also be seen upon the Front of the Head, and at a little diftance from it a black Streak upon the Back, which does not reach to the Extremity of the Worm: You may, in like manner, difcern the firft Lineaments of the Legs but very fmall.

When the Head is form'd, and the Trump extended, all the other Parts come afterwards to appear; infomuch that the Worm becomes wing'd, and grows by degrees a perfect Bee, except only that fhe is white and foft, and has not that kind of crufted Skin with which she is afterwards cover'd.

The Worm, by this Transformation, divefts her self of a white and very fine Skin, which sticks fo exactly to the inner Sides of the Cell, that it affumes the fame Figure of

Angles,

Angles, as well at the Bafis as on the Sides, and feems to be but the fame Body.

The Bee being divefted of this Pellicle, has fix Legs rang'd upon her Body, from towards the Head to the hind Part of the Body, where the hindermost are. The Trump, with its quaternal Covering, is fituated in its full Length in the midft of the fix Legs, from the Head almoft to the extream Parts of the Body: The Wings lie along the two hind Legs on the Side of the Belly; they are not then at their full Extent, but in feveral Folds.

The Bee being in this Condition, there are feveral Parts of her Body that change Colour one after another. The Eyes at first are of a dark yellow, but they afterwards become of a violet Colour, and at laft black. The three Points which form a Triangle with equal Shanks on the Top of the Head, are afterwards found to be of the fame dark yellow, and then changing as the Eyes do, at last become black. The Ends of the Wings are ting'd with a dark Colour. The Horns are equally divided into two by Joints, and undergo a Change, firft that which is fartheft from the Head, and then the nigheft to it. The Trump and the Legs appear at the fame time of a Chefnut Colour. The whole Head, as well as the Breast, from a bright Earth Colour, becomes gradually darker. The Wings explain themselves, and extend to their natural Length. We also begin to obferve the Hair which covers the Bees, and is form'd and difpos'd upon the Head, Breast, and the reft of the Body, in a very agreeable manner.

The

The Bee, after having undergone all these Changes, becoming a perfect Infect, from the twentieth Day of her Age, endeavours to get out of her Cell; fhe makes then a round Hole with her Jaws in the Cover that stopt it. When the Bee is advanc'd thus far as to quit the Cell, it seems drowsy, but quickly affumes her natural Agility; for the may the fame Day be feen coming out of the Hive, and returning from the Fields laden with Wax like the rest: You may distinguish these young ones by their Colour, which is a little darker than the old ones, and by their Hairs, which are more whitish.

After the young Bee has made her Paffage out of the Cell, two other Bees go thither presently; one of which takes away the Cover, and it chips and uses the Wax, which it was made of elsewhere, the other is imploy'd in refitting the Opening: For the young one having left it round or unequal, when she made her Way out, this fame Bee puts it into its firft hexagonal Form, ftrengthens it with the ufual Border, and clears it of the little Pellicles left by the young Bee, which perhaps are the Off-caftings of the Shanks; for as to that new Pellicle which enclofes her whole Body before the leaves the Cell, we are of Opinion, it fticks, like the other before mention'd, to the inner Sides of the Cell: Thefe Pellicles fo fticking to the Cells, make them change Colour, and hence it is that we find Honeycombs in one Hive of a different Colour: Thofe wherein there has been nothing but Honey being of a bright Yellow, and those out of which the young Bees come of a dark Yellow;

we

we have fometimes pull'd off from a Cell, which has been the Cradle of feveral Bees, no less than eight of thefe Pellicles one within another. When the Cell is brought to its former State, the Bees fometimes the fame Day laynew Eggs therein; they now and then put in Honey firft. We have feen Bees lay their Young in the fame Cells at five different times within the Compafs of three Months.

How Bees gather Wax.

EES gather two forts, of Wax that are

B. different from one another's the firft, which

is brown and glewy, ferves to ftop up all the Holes in the Hive, and fometimes to ftick the Honeycombs to the Hive; the other fort is the ordinary Wax they make ufe of in building their Cells.

Bees gather common Wax from the Leaves of a great many Trees and Plants, and from all Flowers that have Chives or Apices; they gather a great Quantity from the Flowers of Rocket, and efpecially from those of the com mon Poppy, which have Plenty of these Chives; they often have their full Load before they get out of one of these Flowers; but they are fo prodigiously nimble at their Work, that how attentive fowever you may be in obferv ing them, it's with much Difficulty your Eyes can follow them, and that you are able to find out the Way they take the Duft from the Flowers:

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