HYMENOPTERA. 34 1 



adversaries separated from each other. We saw them on two different 

 occasions stop the queens in their flight, seize them by the legs, and 

 keep them prisoners for more than a minute. At last, in a third 

 attack, the queen which was the most infuriated or the strongest, 

 rushed upon her rival at a moment when she did not see her coming ; 

 seized her with her jaws by the base of her wing, then mounted on 

 to her body, and brought the extremity of her abdomen over the last 

 rings of her enemy, whom she was then able to pierce with her sting 

 very easily. She then let go the wing which she held between her 

 teeth, and drew back her dart. The vanquished queen dragged her- 

 self heavily along, lost her strength, and expired soon afterwards."* 



These singular combats take place between young maiden queens. 

 Francis Huber, by introducing into a hive some queens from other 

 hives convinced himself that the same animosity impels the females 

 which are pregnant to fight with and destroy each other. From the 

 moment when the young queen to whom the sovereignty has fallen is 

 pregnant, she is anxious to destroy all the royal pupas ^yhich still 

 exist in the hive, and which are then given up to her without re- 

 sistance by the workers. 



[ Els fiaaiMvs. . . .f 



i Become a mother, the female attacks one after the other the cells 

 ij which still contain females. She may be seen to throw herself with 

 \ fury on the first cell she comes to. She makes an openmg m it with 

 3 her mandibles large enough to allow her to introduce her abdomen, 

 5 and then turns herself about till she has succeeded in giving a stab 

 3 with her sting to the female which it contains. She then withdraws, 

 ■\ highly satisfied with what she has done. The working bees, who up 

 ! to this moment have remained indifferent spectators of her ettorts, 

 \ take upon themselves the rest of the business. They set to work to 

 it enlarge the hole made by the ruling queen, and to draw out tlie 

 li carcase of the victim. . u if 



\ In the meanwhile, the fierce and jealous sovereign throws hersel 

 ii on another cell, and breaks into it with violence. If she does not 

 find in it a perfect insect, but only a pupa, she does not condescend 

 to make use of her royal weapon. The workers take on themselves 

 ,i,| to empty the cell and destroy its contents. These executions over 

 % the queen can for the future occupy herself in laying, without having 



. Jl * " Observations sur les Abeilles," t«ne 1., pp. ^74— i/^- , . „_ 



^^1 t " Many ruling together is not good : let there be one ruler, one king. 

 tliV' Horner^ s ''Iliad:' ii. no. 





