with honey. In this transition state, while the brood is passing into insect forms and living bees, there is considerable loss of weight. But what about second swarms? Well, we had intended to look into the hive after the swarm had departed. On turning it up we find three, four, or five royal cells have little maggots in them, floating or lying in a white substance like milk. This milky substance is royal jelly: where the bees get it no one knows. These little maggots grow uncommonly fast, and become beautiful princesses in ten days. If there is ever anything like a regency in a bee-hive it is now, for their is no queen reigning, no queen born-still, all goes on well.

By-and-by there are strange sounds made in that hive. They come from a royal cell. One of the princesses has come to maturity, and intimates her intention to claim the queendom of the hive. She calls "Off, off, off,” which sounds like the barking of a dog at a distance. These sounds she repeats several times; and, being unanswered, she leaves her cell, and becomes the rightful sovereign of the hive. She now commences to speak in another tongue altogether—uttering sounds more sharp and shrill. She calls, "Peep, peep, peep," or rather, "Pa-ay, pa-ay, pa-ay," eight or ten times. The other young princesses come to maturity, and commence to bark "Off, off, off," in their cells. This barking provokes the reigning queen very much. With murderous intent she runs up and down the hive to find these barking queens. Again and again, every few minutes, is she heard calling "Pa-ay, pa-ay," sometimes in one part of the hive and sometimes in another. And the responses, "Off, off, off," come regularly from the cells of her rival sisters. This calling of the queens is termed "piping." What is it for? Who can tell? It goes on for three days and three nights. The

reigning queen during this time is seeking an opportunity of killing her rivals, but the working bees ward off her attempts to get at her sisters; and they too are securely watched and kept in their cells. If the weather be fa

vourable on the fourth day after the piping began, a second swarm will issue from the hive, taking with it the queen which called "Peep, peep." Now one of the princesses kept in confinement for three days is permitted to take the place of her sister. She in her turn calls “Pa-ay, pa-ay;" and if the responsive bark of "Off, off" be continued, a third swarm may be expected on the following day, or, at latest, the day after that. Third and fourth swarms have been known to issue from a hive in one day. Third and fourth swarms are not very common; for the bees of most hives find that two swarms in a fortnight are enough to send off-and sometimes they cannot afford to do that. To prevent second swarms leaving, the bees adopt signal measures. As soon as the first princess is born, and commences to "pipe," they hush her into silence at once. Before she gets one "pa-ay" half uttered, the bees prevent her from going on with it. In stopping her, they make a sound like the word "hush" spoken by the human voice. The supernumerary princesses are killed and cast out of the hive.

It has been already said that the usual time of piping for second swarms is three days and nights; but it ought to be stated that when the weather prevents swarming, and the bees are bent on swarming, the piping will be continued for some days longer. I have known it continued for seven days; and during those seven days not one of the princesses ever closed an eye in sleep. The piping of the queens, and their deadly hatred of one another, are two of the interesting and striking features of bee-history. Two old queens or two young ones--it matters not whether

they be mother and offspring, or sisters of the blood, or strangers every way-will, on meeting, rush savagely at each other, and fight with greater fury than bull-dogs.

In every contest between two queens it is death or victory. In some such contests both die. I have known two engaged in this deadly and violent struggle roll out of the door of the hive, over the flight-board, and fight it out on the ground. In this battle one was killed and the other wounded. Once we saw two young queens meet on the flight-board of a hive while a second swarm was issuing from it. They ran and embraced each other in furious combat; but, as we wished to obtain the second swarm, we tore the combatants asunder and threw them up in the air. Both went with the swarm. Next morning one was found dead in front of the hive into which the swarm was put.

CHAPTER VII.

HONEY.

This substance is found in the flowers of certain plants in almost every country. Doubtless it is odoriferous; and hence the honey-bee, whose smelling powers are wonderfully keen, can easily find it. The bee is furnished with a proboscis of some length, wherewith it can reach most of the nectaries of flowers in which honey is found. It has been said that at the point of the proboscis there is a brush of exquisite softness, which is used for collecting honey, and thus enabling the bee to fill its own. bag.

The honey as it is collected in the flower and carried to the hive is not honey proper. The nectar of flowers is a thin sweet juice which may be properly called crude honey. This is collected by bees into the hives, and there converted into honey proper. During the day, the bees collect as much of this crude honey as they can, and place it in open cells till night, when they re-swallow it, thus making it into real honey. In this process it becomes thicker and sweeter. Before it is swallowed a second time, it readily runs out of cells whenever the hive is turned up or held a little to one side; but after having been put twice through the stills of bees, it is not easily disturbed in the cells. Besides, the taste and quality of the honey are greatly improved by the change effected on being re-swallowed. Doubtless much water is eliminated during the process.

Crude honey being thin and watery, will not keep: like badly-preserved fruit, it soon becomes mouldy and sour; but after it has been made into honey proper, it will keep good for two or three years, if not for a longer period of time.

The honey of one kind of plant is different in some small degree from the honey of other kinds of plants—different in substance, colour, and taste. For instance, the honey collected from the flowers of gooseberry and sycamore trees is of a sea-green colour, the flavour of which cannot well be surpassed for excellence. It has been often said by others that the honey from wild thyme is richer than any other honey. We have never lived where this plant grows abundantly, and have not tasted. honey from it. The honey collected from the flowers of white or Dutch clover is clearer-more like spring-water -than any honey gathered from other flowers known in England. It pleases the eye better than honey of a higher

colour. The flavour of clover-honey is good and pungent, but not so rich and pleasing to the palate as that of sycamore and gooseberry.

Honey gathered from heather-blossoms is considerably darker in colour than any other pure honey gathered in Great Britain and Ireland. It has a much stronger flavour too peculiarly grousey. This heather-honey, though to appearance of greater substance and consistence, is considerably lighter in weight, taking bulk for bulk. The clear sort goes to the bottom of the jar, and swims the heather-honey when both go together.

CHAPTER VIII.

HONEY-DEW.

This material is found on the upper surface of the leaves of some trees, has a shining appearance, and is sticky to the touch. Many ignorant people think that it falls from the skies during the night. It is simply the product of an insect (aphis) found frequently on the under sides of the leaves of some kinds of trees. This insect is most plentiful in times of prevalent east winds; and it is well. known that flowers yield very little honey indeed when winds come from either east or north. In these times of scarcity bees work on these shining leaves, and thus collect honey-dew. It is dark in colour-disagreeable both to the eye and the palate; and is a great nuisance to beekeepers whose aim is profit. It is a great pity that bees touch it at all.

Oaks, sycamores, limes, and beeches are the trees most