consistency, which lies upon the top of its progressive increase, and thus prevents its oozing. It lies upon the honey across the transverse diameter of the cell, and consequently in a vertical position. Its purpose, like that of the flat pieces of wood which are placed upon the water of full pails when carried by the yoke, is to prevent its spilling or overflowing. This small cover has to be partially removed upon the arrival of a bee with fresh store, which she herself does by tearing aside a portion of it to enable her to regurgitate into the cavity the portion she has brought home; upon freeing herself from this she does not wait to restore the dilapidation she has caused, but proceeds on a fresh harvesting. Another bee, whose duty it is, then readapts this cover to its purpose, and repairs it. Their excursions to collect are variously estimated at from one to three miles, and they make about ten a day. The bees, in their temporary distribution of labour, are something like the Indians which have caste, among whom each service has its special servitor, who never undertakes or interferes with the duties of another. The collection of pollen is almost as needful to the well-being of a hive as honey, this being used exclusively as the basis of the sustenance of the new brood in their larva state, in all their conditions of worker, drone, and queen, the perfect bee itself never partaking of it. It is variously commingled upon its application to use with secretions of their own, which convert it into bee bread or royal jelly, as the case may be, to fit it for its special employment, which is done by the nurse-bees, who diligently attend to the nurture of all the young. The cells for storing this material are not so numerous as the honey-cells, and they are jotted about without any distinct order, amongst them. When a bee arrives with her store of pollen on the edge of one of these cells, she turns round with her back to it and thrusts it in as fast as she can free it from her legs, both by their aid and the twisting about of her abdomen, and then, like the honey-gatherer, commences another journey. As soon as she is gone, another bee manipulates it with a small stock of honey, and packs it closely in. Whilst all this is doing, the set which watch the condition of the hive, like surveyors, to apply repairs where necessary, or to add strength and further support to the suspended cakes of comb, impatiently await the return of the collectors of propolis; this they tear from their shanks as fast as they arrive and as quickly as they can, for it rapidly hardens, especially in fine hot weather, and they convey it away for their requirements, whilst those which collected it fly off for fresh supplies, should more be needed. Concurrently with the execution of all these things, wax is still being secreted by festoons of bees suspended wherever there is space, the sculpturer bees are still moulding cells,