were two things remarkable. FIRST, that they flew to the fame hedge, where the fwarm had pitched, the day before, to fearch for her there, where they laft had her company. SECONDLY, how foon by the abfence of one bee, this monarchy was turned into anarchy; for now (inftead of going all together in a bunch, which is natural to them when they have their queen,) they were divided all along the hedge, for ten yards together in little bunches, forty or fifty in a bunch and fome larger bunches; fo then I pulled the box out of my pocket where the queen bee was, being willing to know whether or no they would again acknowledge their crippled Sovereign, and my thoughts then were, that they would not, fhe having been fo long from them, and her wing cut off, or for the fmell of the box, I did not know but thefe, or fome of thefe might give them fome diftafte; but to my great amazement and all that were with me, I no fooner opened the box, and laid it, queen and all upon the bank, near to one of these little bunches, but they immediately began to gather from hither and thither all about my box where the queen was which was foon covered up, and in lefs than a quarter of an hour, they were all gathered together about their queen, rejoi cing, which rejoicing is eafy to perceive by thofe that are ufed among them by their notes. So having found their queen again, they lay all contented together, not running up and down, and fpreading themselves as before, when fhe was abfent. So night coming on, I again hived them, and brought them into my garden, for if I had let them remain abroad all night, the coldness of the night would have chilled them; fo that I fhould not have been able to make any farther difcoveries with them. Next morning, being fine weather, I again knocked them out on the grafs, in the meadow as before, where they foon united themfelves together about their beloved queen,

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where I let them lie for fome hours, to try if they would rife; but here was the height of loyalty expreffed. The poor queen, as I told you above, had one of her wings clipt, and fo was not able to fly, and lead them off to fome place for their common preservation, and these her loyal subjects chofe rather to perifh with her, than to leave her in her diftrefs. Then I again took away their queen, and put her in a box as before, and my poor bees fell again to fpreading themselves in fearch of her; fo when they were thus fpread abroad, I laid down their queen, near one fide of this fearching fquadron, when to my great fatisfaction, and wonder of fome friends, which I had fent for on purpose, they all immediately ceafed their fpreading themselves, and fearching every way for their queen, they all marched directly towards her! Before they had quite covered her, to fave myfelf the trouble of fearching for her in the midst of the fwarm, I took her up and laid her down on the contrary fide, to where I took her up, when prefently you might fee them all turn their march to her again; fo I often took her up from one place and laid her down in another, and these poor loyal and loving creatures always marched and counter-marched every way as the queen was laid. When I had fhewed my friends all the diverfion that fo great a curiofity could afford them, I fuffered them again to encircle her, and immediately they closed from the right and left, front and rear, into a thick round bunch, no broader than the crown of my hat, and fo lay very well contented together, the commons ftill expecting when they fhould fly with their queen as ufual; but the not being able to fly, could not lead them off, and not a Bee of them would offer to leave her, though by this time, no doubt but they began to want food; fo the evening drawing on, I again hived them, and brought them into my garden

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to prevent their being chilled; and the next morning knocked them out upon the grafs, where to try farther experiments, I often took away their queen, and with her could march them any where, this way and that way, and then put her to them again; for I was refolved now to try whether or no thefe loyal creatures would go on thus to the end, and crown these their loyal principles with martyrdom. The Commons taited no food, nor would they fly to get any, unless their queen had been in fafety. And indeed this their loyalty and affection was equalled, if not out-done by their queen; for when I had her away from them, I gave her honey several times, but the would not fo much as once tafte of it without her fubjects. But to come to a conclufion of this curious though melancholy obfervation, they ftill kept their integrity, and famine itfelf could not leffen their loval affection to their Prince; for after they had lived five days and five nights without the leaft food, they all died. of famine, except the queen bee, who lived fome few hours longer than her subjects, and then died; difdaining a life, that was no life to her, without the company of thofe which she could not have, they haing all given up their lives for her fake."

There are in the Monarchy of Bees many other circumstances which fhew the order and admirable policy which reigns among them these are too nearly related to the fubject of this chapter to be omitted. The queen has her guards who have the charge of her fafety; fome like body guards are stationed in the antichamber of her apartment, and others ftand centinels at the gate of the palace. She never moves a step without being attended by her guards or being efcorted by crowds of other Bees; if he goes out, the reft follow her; if the ftops, they ftand ftill; if fhe goes into the hive again, they all attend her.

As they depofit their whole ftore in a common magazine, it is just that each Bee should contribute to the heap by its own labour. Accordingly they never fuffer an idle member whofe inaction would derange their economy, and who would waste the provifion which it cofts them fo much labour to collect. By virtue of this fage law they expell the drones from their hive, which do nothing but confume the honey; they drive them away with rigour, and even in certain circumftances kill them.

When in Spring their magazines are exhaufted, and the flowers not yet in fufficient abundance to furnish them with food, they are obliged to live by pillage. The neceflity of their circumftances often occafions bloody wars in which great numbers always perish. They feldom attack the hives in their neighbourhood, but like Tartars they over run vaft fields and halt at places remote from their own dwellings. They do not attack indifferently every hive; fome are too ftrong, and would make them repent their temerity. But after mature examination of the ftrength and numbers of the whole, they fall on the weakeft, and gorge themfelves with plunder. If the fuccefs answers their expectation, they return next day with a reinforcement, and continue this predatory war, till they reach the inmoft treafures of the hive. The bees witich are expofed to this pillage, do not fuffer it tamely. They endeavour to difappoint the affailants, with the moft vigorous efforts. No fooner have these given the fignal by a humming more loud than ordinary, than they prepare their fting which ferves them as a fword ready for their defence: the guards are encreased, and they march boldly to oppole the enemy; the action, as is mentioned above, is generally fierce and bloody, and great numbers cn both fides are left dead on the field of battle. The queen being as it were the foul of the hive, it is eafy

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to imagine that their greatest care will be to fecure her from the fury of the invaders. If the has the misfortune to fall in battle, the whole army is difpirited, and victory declares for the affailants.

If the bees in a hive are hampered for room on account of their numbers, or if there happens to be more than one queen, they fend off colonies which go to fettle elfewhere. The queen of this detachment puts herself at the head of her subjects, who follow her without knowing whither the is to lead them. When she has pitched on a favourable place the ftops, and lays the foundation of a new kingdom.

I must not omit to mention the respect they fhew to their dead. It does not appear that they neglect the carcafes of those that have perifhed, but carefully convey them away. If one bee is not fufficient, two join to perform the tafk: the one takes the dead body by the head, the other feizes it by the tail, and thus they carry it thirty or forty paces from the hive with their legs only.

If we confider maturely the different inftances of fagacity which I have in this chapter related of infects, we cannot but be ftruck with wonder. There is fomething in them all which, if it does not fur pafs the cunning and fubtilty of the mind of man, at leaft very nearly approaches them. It cannot be the effect of chance, for there is an evident difplay of defign, and a conftant regularity, which demonftrates that an all powerful and all wife being directs them. Fix your attention for a moment on the different ways in which I have faid that infects conftruct their nefts. It requires a deal of time before a man who is endowed with intelligence, by which he is fo adventagiously diftinguished from these animals can acquire

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