264 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 
a numerous progeny. If, for instance, some hundred bees 
are taken from one hive and transferred into an empty one, 
they are at first very unruly, but as soon as a strange queen 
is put into it they collect around her, as if about to celebrate 
a great holiday; they lick her for hours, press themselves 
close around her, creep under her, lift her up and cover her 
on all sides. Soon after they fly out, collect materials for 
wax, and in the first twenty-four hours make a comb about 
the size of a half-dollar piece, without paying the least at- 
tention to the hive from which they were taken, even if it 
is near by. Such small colonies, however, never prosper, 
but soon emigrate with their queen and perish. 
If a queen and some of the working bees are thrown into 
water until they are nearly dead, and are then brought 
into a warm place, the latter, as soon as they recover from 
the shock sufficiently to move, begin to manifest their anx- 
iety for the queen, and endeavor to restore her to life by 
licking her ; and as soon as she moves a limb a cheerful huz- 
za is expressed by a general humming. ‘The bees show a 
similar affection toward every queen without distinction ; 
even if two strange queens are put into a full hive, a crowd 
immediately collects around them and begins to hum, and 
soon the humming becomes general throughout the hive. 
This fact does not seem in consonance with the common 
opinion that only one queen bee is permitted in a hive, which 
is undoubtedly true; but then it must be remembered that 
the reason why they can not live together is only on account 
of the persecution of the legitimate queen, because the bees 
have no other desire than to people their hive as quickly 
and as much as possible; and in this instinct teaches them 
right, for a thickly-peopled hive will endure the coldest win- 
ter, while one that contains but a few will perish for want 
of the necessary higher temperature produced by them. 
But if there is more than one queen in a hive, these two la- 
dies settle their pretensions to the throne by single combat, 
