136 PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 



to this best mode of proof, I shall proceed to another 

 part of my history: — but first I must mention an experi- 

 ment of Reaumur's, which seems to come well in here. 

 To ascertain whether the expectation of a queen was 

 sufficient to keep ahve the instinct and industry of the 

 worker-bees, he placed in a glazed hive some royal cells 

 containing both grubs and pupae, and then introduced 

 about 1000 or 1500 workers and some drones. These 

 workers, which had been deprived of their queen, at 

 first destroyed some of the grubs in these cells ; but they 

 clustered around two that were covered in, as if to im- 

 part warmth to the pupae they contained; and on the 

 following day they began to work upon the portions of 

 comb with which he had supplied them, in order to fix 

 and lengthen them. For two or three days the work 

 went on very leisurely, but afterwards their labours as- 

 sumed their usual character of indefatigable industry*. 

 There is no difficulty, therefore, when a hive loses its 

 sovereign, to supply the bees with an object that will in- 

 terest them, and keep their works in progress. 



There are a few other facts with respect to the larvge 

 and pupae of the bees, which, before I enter upon the 

 history of them in their perfect form, I shall now detail 

 to you. Sixteen days is the time assigned to a quee?i for 

 her existence in her preparatory states, before she is ready 

 to emerge from her cell. Three she remains in the egg; 

 when hatched she continues feeding five more; when 

 covered in she begins to spin her cocoon, which occupies 

 another day : as if exhausted by this labour, she now 

 remains perfectly still for two days and sixteen hours ; 

 and then assumes the pupa, in which state she remains 

 ' Reaiini. v. ^71 — 



