Specification of the Patent granted to JOHN NORTON, of Rolls-buildings, Fetter-lane, in the City of London, Mathematical Instrument-maker; far a new-invented Pump. Dated July 13, 1807,

With Engravings.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said John Norton do hereby declare that my said improved pump is described in manner following; that is to say: It is constructed so that it shall produce a continued or uninterrupted stream; and this I accomplish by placing the piston or plunger, worked in a new and peculiar manner, in the working barrel if the same be fixed horizontally), between four apertures, two of which furnish the water or other liquid from the sucking barrel into the working barrel, and the other two convey the same away into the delivering pipe. The peculiarity of the working of this piston is to make it raise the water or other liquid alternately through each of the apertures connected with the suction pipe, and to force it alternately through each of the apertures connected with the delivering pipe, whence it issues in a continued or uninterrupted stream. If the working barrel is placed vertically, two apertures will only be necessary, as may be seen in Fig. 6, (Plate II.) which represents a pump constructed in this manner.

Fig. 3 (Plate II.) is a section of the pump, with the working barrel placed horizontally, having the four apertures above-mentioned, in which the necessary valves are inserted.

Fig. 4 exhibits a section of the piston detached from the barrel.

VOL. XII.-SECOND SERIES.

E

Fig.

Fig. 5 the crank by which the piston is worked backwards and forwards in the barrel.

In the centre of the working barrel, Fig. 3, is represented a pivot hole for the end of the crank to work in at the back of the cylinder. The piston is introduced into the working barrel at one end, and the crank is afterwards introduced through a hole in the front or middle of the cylinder, made large enough for that purpose, which is then covered over with a plate, screwed thereon, having a hole just sufficient to permit the crank to work through it. The space between the bars connecting the ends of the piston together should be wide enough to permit the play of the crank.

aa, Fig. 3, shew the plates that are screwed on the ends of the working barrel; b is the receiving or suction pipe; and c is the delivering pipe. d, Fig. 4, is the joint-piece that screws on the end of the piston at e ; ƒƒ are two of the bars connecting the ends of the piston. g is the clams encircling the part of the crank Fig. 5, marked with the same letter. And it should be observed, that the clams ought to be fastened with screws, secured by a steady pin passing through them, so that the clams shall not become loose in working. And, note, the connecting rod may be made to work by a ball and socket, as a universal joint, instead of the method shewn in the drawing, care being taken to secure it from getting loose from the clams by a pin being passed through the ball and cup.

Fig. 6 exhibits my improved pump with the working barrel placed vertically, and having only two apertures; a the receiving or suction pipe; b the delivering pipe; c the working barrel; dd the two apertures in the working barrel; eeee the necessary clacks or valves.

In witness whereof, &c.

On

On the Economy of Bees. In a Letter from THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT, Esq. F. R. S. to the Right Hon. Sir JOSEPH BANKS, Bart. K. B. P. R. S.

From the PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS of the
ROYAL SOCIETY.

IN the prosecution of those experiments on trees, accounts of which you have so often done me the honour to present to the Royal Society, my residence has necessarily been almost wholly confined to the same spot; and I have thence been induced to pay considerable attention to the economy of bees, amongst other objects; and as some interesting circumstances in the habit of these singular insects appear to have come under my observation, and to have escaped the notice of former writers, I take the liberty to communicate my observations to you.

It is, I believe, generally supposed that each hive, or swarm, of these insects remains at all times wholly unconnected with other colonies in the vicinity; and that the bee never distinguishes a stranger from an enemy. The circumstances which I shall proceed to state will, however, tend to prove that these opinions are not well founded, and that a friendly intercourse not unfrequently takes place between different colonies, and is productive of very important consequences in their political economy.

Passing through one of my òrchards rather late in the evening in the month of August, in the year 1801, I observed that several bees passed me in a direct line from the hives in my own garden to those in the garden of a cottager, which was about a hundred yards distant from As it was considerably later in the evening than the

it.

time when bees usually cease to labour, I concluded that something more than ordinary was going forward. Going first to my own garden, and then to that of the cottager, I found a very considerable degree of bustle and agitation to prevail in one hive in each every bee, as it arrived, seemed to be stopped and questioned at the mouth of each hive; but I could not discover any thing like actual resistance, or hostility, to take place; though I was much inclined to believe the intercourse between the hives to be hostile and predatory. The same kind of intercourse continued, in a greater or less degree, during eight succeeding days, and though I watched them very closely, nothing occurred to induce me to suppose that their intercourse was not of an amicable kind. On the tenth morning, however, their friendship ended, as sudden and violent friendships often do, in a quarrel; and they fought most furiously; and after this there was no more visiting.

Two years subsequent to this period I observed the same kind of intercourse to take place between two hives of my own bees, which were situated about two hundred yards distant from each other: they passed from each hive to the other just as they did in the preceding instance, and a similar degree of agitation was observable. In this instance, however, their friendship appeared to be of much shorter duration, for they fought most desperately on the fifth day; and then, as in the last mentioned case, all further visiting ceased.

I have some reason to believe that the kind of intercourse I have described, which I have often seen, and which is by no means uncommon, not unfrequently ends in a junction of the two swarms; for one instance came under my observation, many years ago, in which the labouring bees, under circumstances perfectly similar to

those

those I have described, wholly disappeared,, leaving the drones in peaceable possession of the hive, but without any thing to live upon. I have also reasons for believing, that whenever a junction of two swarms, with their property; is agreed upon, that which proposes to remove, immediately, or soon afterwards, unites with the other swarm, and returns to the deserted hive during the day only to carry off the honey: for having examined at night a hive from which I suspected the bees to be migrating, I found it without a single inhabitant. I was led to make the examination by information I had received from a very accurate observer, that all the bees would then be absent. A very considerable quantity of honey was in this instance left in the hive without any guards to defend it; but I conclude that the bees would have returned for it had it remained till the next day. Whenever the bees quit their habitation, in this way, I have always observed some fighting to take place; but I conceived it to be between the bees of the adjoining hives and those which are removing; the former being attracted by the scent of the honey, which the latter were carrying off.

On the farm which I occupy there were formerly many old decayed trees, the cavities of which were frequently occupied by swarms of bees; and when these were destroyed, a board was generally fitted to the aperture which had been made to extract the honey; and the cavity was thus prepared for the reception of another swarm, in the succeeding season. Whenever a swarm came, I constantly observed, that about fourteen days previous to their arrival a small number of bees, varying from twenty to fifty, were every day employed in examining, and apparently in keeping possession of the cavity; for, if molested, they shewed evident signs of displeasure, though

they