Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

BEE-BEECH. 31
semblance existing between the working task of subsequently arranging them.
and female bees first led to the idea that The eggs laid at the commencement of
they were of the same sex, and the in- fine weather all belong to the working
genious experiments and accurate obser- sort, and hatch at the end of 4 days. The
vatious of Huber enabled him to estab- larves are regularly fed by the workers
lish this fact in the most satisfactory for 6 or 7 days, when they are enclosed
manner. Having deprived a hive of the in their cell, spin a cocoon, and become
mother or queen, he found that the work- nymphs, and in about 12 days acquire
ing bees inmmediately began to prepare a their perfect state. The cells are then
larve of their own class to occupy this immediately fitted up for the reception
important station. This was effected by of new eggs. The eggs for producing
enlarging the cell to the dimensions of a nales are laid two months later, and
maternal or royal chamber, and feeding those for the females immediately afterthe selected individual on food exclu- wards. This succession of generations
sively destined for the nourishment of forms so many particular communities,.
the royal larves. If mierely fed upon this which, when increased beyond a certain
food, without an accompanying enlarge- degree, leave the parent hive to found a
ment of the cell, the maternal facilties new colony elsewhere. Three or four
were but imperfectly acquired, as the swarms sometimes leave a hive in a seafemale did not attain the proper size, and son. A good swarm is said to weigh at
was incapable of laying any eggs but least six or eight pounds. The life of the
those which produced males. —The cells bee, like that of all the other insects of
of the comb compose two opposite ranges its class, does not continue long after the
of horizontal hexagons, with pyramidal great business of providing for the conbases: each layer of the comb is perpen- tinuance of the species is completed.dicular, and attached by the summit, and Thle history of the bee, as already stated,
separated from the rest by a space suffi- is too extensive to allow us to attempt
cient for the bees to pass in and out. more than this brief sketch. But to such
The comb is always built from above as have leisure, and are desirous of indownward. The cells, with the excep- structive amusement, we know of no
tion of those for the female larve and study which promises a greater degree
nymph, are nearly of equal size, some of satisfaction; and there is no book betcontaining the progeny, and others the ter adapted for this purpose, than the
honey and pollen of flowers. Some excellent treatise of Huber, which may
honey cells are left open, others are almost be regarded as the ne plus ultra of
closed for filture use by a flat or slightly its kind. A beautiful little poemn, called
convex covering of wax. The maternal The Bees, written by the Florentine Gior regal cells vary from 2 to 40 in num- ovanni Rucellai, appeared in 1.539.
ber, are greatly superior in size, nearly BEECH. The beech (fagus sylvatica),
cylindrical, and somewhat larger at the one of our handsomest forest-trees, is
extremity. They have small cavities on known by its waved and somewhat oval
the outside, and commonly depend from leaves, and its triangular fruit, consisting
the comb like stalactites, so that the larve of three cells, and enclosed, by pairs, in a
has its head downwards.-The season of husk, which is covered with simple
fecundation occurs about the beginning prickles.-Beech woods are very colYof summer, and the meeting between the mon in almost all the New England and
females and males takes place high in Middle States, in the states of Maine,
the air, whence the female returns with Pennsylvania, Ohio, &c. They are very
the sexual parts of the male attached to luxuriant in their growth. These woods,
the extremity of the abdomen. This one it has been observed, are peculiarly dry,
fecundation is thought to be sufficient to and pleasant to walk in, and, under their
vivify the eggs which the mother may shade, afford to the botanist many interlay in the course of two years. The lay- esting plants, such as the bird's nest
ing begins immediately afterwards, and (monoiropa), winter-green (pyrola), and
continues until autumn. Reaumur states some rare orchideea. Beech-trees bear
that the female, in the spring, lays as lopping well, and may be trained so as to
many as 12,000 eggs in the lapse of 24 form lofty hedges, which are valuable for
days. Each sort of egg is deposited in shelter, since the leaves, though faded,
the appropriate cell, unless a sufficient remain through the winter, and the
mlmber of cells have not been prepared: twisted branches may be formed into a
in this case, she places several eggs in very strong fence. The wood is hard
one. and leaves to the working bees the and brittle, and, if exposed to the air, is