262 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 
highest degree of wisdom in governing and managing the 
different inhabitants of the hive. ‘This opinion was uni- 
versal until about one hundred and fifty-six years ago, when 
Swammerdam, by a series of profound anatomical investi- 
gations, proved that this so-called king was a female, which 
lays all the eggs necessary to the growth and multiplication 
of the society she governs, and which accordingly is now 
called the Queen Bee. Aristotle and Virgil held the opin- 
ion that this bee lays no eggs at all, but only brings home 
some substance from the flowers and fruits, from which the 
maggots originated. This opinion, also, was proved erro- 
neous by anatomical investigation; and to prove its falsity it 
is only necessary to open the body of the Queen Bee, when 
several thousand eggs will be found within her. 
The best way of making the acquaintance of the Queen 
Bee is to divide a new swarm, and put each into a separate 
hive. The one which is in possession of the queen will 
soon be contented, and then she can be seen running about 
at the bottom of the hive entirely alone; but after a little 
time about a dozen of the working bees will surround and 
accompany her, and their number will gradually increase. 
Some approach her and are caressed by her proboscis, 
while others offer her honey with their proboscis, and she 
licks it off. Reaumure, having divided a swarm in this 
manner, says that the smaller one, with the queen, worked 
very negligently for several days, and then swarmed with 
the queen and placed themselves upon a twig of a tree, prob- 
ably because their number was too small to promise a large 
progeny. After he had put them into the hive several 
times, they went off again, and finally united with the bees 
of a neighboring hive, where they were all massacred. The 
other swarm, without a queen, seemed to be satisfied at 
first, several of them going out the following day, but re- 
turning without bringing home any provisions or materials. 
They remained in this condition six days without making a 
