220 INSECT MISCELLANIES. 



been deprived of their queen, had begun twelve royal 

 cells. They likewise gave the queen a good recep- 

 tion, presenting her with honey, and surrounding her 

 in regular circles. In the evening, however, there 

 occurred a little agitation, though this was confined 

 to the surface of the comb, where the queen had been 

 placed, and which she had not quitted : on the other 

 side all was perfectly quiet. By the morning of the 

 7th the bees had destroyed the twelve royal cells, but 

 in all other respects good order continued to prevail 

 in the hive ; and the queen commenced to lay the eggs 

 of males and of workers respectively in the large and 

 small cells. 



*' About the 12th, I found the bees occupied in 

 constructing twenty-two royal cells, of the species 

 described by Reaumur, namely, — with the bases not 

 in the plane of the comb, but appended perpendicularly 

 by foot-stalks of different lengths, like stalactites, on 

 the edge of the passage made by the bees through 

 their combs. They bore, indeed, a considerable re- 

 semblance to the cup of an acorn, the longest being 

 only about two lines and a half in depth from the 

 bottom to the orifice. On the 13th, the queen seemed 

 to be already more slender than when introduced into 

 the hive ; but she still continued to deposit some eggs 

 both in common cells and in those of males. I also 

 surprised her this day, laying in a royal cell : she first 

 dislodged the worker there employed, by pushing it 

 away with her head, and then supported herself by 

 the adjoining cells, while depositing the egg. On 

 the 15th, the size of the queen was still farther re- 

 duced, and the workers continued their attention to 

 the royal cells, which were all unequally advanced, 

 some to the height of three or four lines, while others 

 were already an inch long ; thus proving that the queen 

 had not deposited eggs in the whole at the same time. 



" At a moment when it was least expected, the hive 

 swarmed on the 19th. We were warned of this by a 



