28 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. 1* 



nary fables rather than real facts. She was alone, 

 and walking perhaps at a slower pace than the rest. 

 The friends who were with me were pleased to dis- 

 cover in her gait something of gravity and majesty. 

 She advanced, unattended, to one of the squares of 

 the hive, up which she mounted to join a group of 

 her subjects perched at the top. In a little time 

 she reappeared at the bottom, but still sadly ne- 

 glected. She ascended a second time, and 1 lost 

 sight of her for a few instants — she then appeared 

 for the third time at the bottom of the hive. Now, 

 however, twelve or fifteen bees were ranged around 

 her, and seemed to form her train. In the first 

 moments of trouble and confusion we think only 

 of ourselves. If we were in a large saloon, and 

 it had suddenly broken down, in the confusion we 

 should forget that others dearer than ourselves 

 were in the room. Thus it was with these bees, 

 for being huddled into the little glass hive, turned 

 topsy-turvy, the first impulse of each seemed self- 

 preservation, and it was only when they had reco- 

 vered their composure, that they began to recollect 

 the mother which in their fright they had forgotten 

 and neglected. 



" In spite of my inclination to believe that the first 

 train which I had perceived was the effect of chance 

 — in spite of my disposition to think that a big bee 

 would be followed precisely because it was big — t 

 was forced to acknowledge that there was some 

 other foundation for the homage, the cares, and at- 

 tentions which the rest paid to her who M^as des- 

 tined to be the mother of a numerous progeny. The 

 queen, with her little suite, disappeared for a mo- 

 ment among a cluster of bees. In a short time she 

 reapi)eared at the bottom of the hive, when a dozen 

 others hastened to join the train. A row flanked 

 her on each side as she walked, others met her be- 

 fore, and made way as she advanced ; and, in a very 

 short time, she was surrounded by a circle of up- 



