No 
56 THE HOMBLE-BEE x 
probably because it had an egg or two to lay in it, 
but was thrown down by a terrific charge from 
another which proceeded at once to seal up the 
cell. But the latter soon left this work to rush 
at a third which drew near. Hurrying back 
it found that a fourth had dared to approach the 
cell. This one seemed to be particularly dangerous 
and hateful, and seizing it, it hurled it down and 
tried to sting it. This was the opportunity for a 
fifth to take possession of the cell, and this one 
in its turn jealously and energetically guarded it 
until it too was deposed. Thus the squabbling 
went on, but there was no general commotion as 
when the /szthyrus was present, and most of the 
bees not engaged in laying eggs were peacefully 
occupied incubating or feeding the Pszthyrus brood. 
It was clear that the workers deposed the 
Psithyrus queen, and | think that this was the 
culminating act in a revolt that the queen had all 
along found it difficult to repress. The episode 
was much more than a mere conflict between a 
rupestris queen and a number of dapzdarius workers. 
It was an incident in the everlasting struggle be- 
tween a parasite and its host, in which the destinies 
of both species are involved. The rupestyzs queen, 
following her instinct for the propagation of her 
species, laid her eggs and endeavoured to prevent the 
lapidarius workers from laying any of theirs. The 
lapidarius workers, on the other hand, endeavoured 
to destroy the Pszthyrus eggs, and were ready to 
lay some of their own. The Psz¢hyrus would have 
