254 THE HUMBLE-BEE x 
continued to work feverishly at the site, apparently 
making a show of attempting to devour imaginary 
egos in it. The queen took very little notice of 
them but pushed them aside when she came to add 
wax, which she gathered hurriedly, chiefly from the 
joints between recently-spun cocoons. During the 
first hour the construction of the cell made very 
little progress. At 11.30 p.M., however, it had 
distinct walls. 
July 26, 6.30 am. There was a loud hum- 
ming in the nest when | entered the bee-house, 
and on looking at it I saw at once that something 
unusual had happened. The whole colony was in 
a state of uproar, and the workers were rushing 
about shaking their wings. All trace of the cell 
that was building last night had vanished. The 
Psithyrus was not to be seen anywhere on the comb, 
but I soon discovered her in the tube leading to 
the ground. She was drowsy, and her coat was 
dishevelled and matted with moisture. I got her 
out and dropped her into the nest. Immediately 
the commotion increased threefold, and I perceived 
that she was the cause of it. The workers were 
infuriated with her, and half-a-dozen rushed after 
her and hunted her into a corner where they all set 
upon her and tried to sting her. She struggled 
feebly and ineffectually. I rescued her and put her 
into the vestibule. Here, however, five minutes 
later, I found the workers had followed her; one of 
them had a wing of the Pszthyrus tightly clasped in 
its jaws and was trying to sting her with all its might. 
