228 THE HUMBLE-BEE x 
could not have gathered enough during the day to 
keep her animated through the night. On lifting 
off the cover at 7.5 p.m. I found her animated, and 
rather excited at being disturbed, buzzing a good 
deal, and going in and out of her nest. By pressing 
back the material over the entrance to the nest | 
caught sight of the honey-pot which was almost 
empty. I then, with a fountain-pen filler, injected 
some syrup which had been prepared for feeding 
honey-bees, into the honey-pot. As I was doing 
this I could feel the queen angrily biting the tip of 
the filler. Directly I withdrew the filler I saw her 
tongue in the syrup sucking it up, and it remained 
in this position for quite half a minute. Then the 
queen retired to her brood, but occasionally I saw 
her head stretch towards the honey-pot to take a sip. 
She seemed greatly gratified at finding her pot full, 
and sipping from it seemed to be a pleasure which 
she liked to repeat. 
June 28. Another stormy day. 1 filled the 
honey-pot at 7.50 p.M. The queen was less alarmed 
than on the previous evening, and drank the syrup 
eagerly, taking it from the filler. 
June 29. At 7.20 p.m. I went to feed the queen. 
On lifting the cover I was alarmed to see three or 
four ants (Laszus niger) crawling on the nest 
material. Investigation showed that others were 
running up and down the tunnel and in and out of 
its mouth, and even over the honey-pot into the 
nest. Having had the young brood in two of my 
nests, one of them but three yards distant from this, 
