PERFECT SOCTETIES OF INSECTS. 13J) 



in, as if to impart warmth to the pupae they contained; 

 and on the following day they began to work upon the 

 portions of comb with which he had supplied them, in 

 order to fix and lengthen them. For two or three days 

 the work went on very leisurely, but afterwards their 

 labours assumed their usual character of indefatigable 

 industry^. There is no difficulty, therefore, Avhen a 

 hive loses its sovereign, to supply the bees with an ob- 

 ject that will interest them, and keep their works in 

 progress. 



There are a few other facts with respect to the larvae 

 and pupaB of the bees, which, before I enter upon the 

 history of them in their perfect form, I shall now detail 

 to you. Sixteen days is the time assigned to a queen 

 for her existence in her preparatory states, before she 

 is ready to emerge from her cell. Three she remains 

 in the egg ; when hatched she continues feeding five 

 more ; when covered in she begins to spin her cocoon, 

 which occupies another day : as if exhausted by this 

 labour, she now remains perfectly still for two days 

 and sixteen hours ; and then assumes the pupa, in which 

 state slie remains exactly four days and eight hours — 

 making in all the period I have just named. A longer 

 time, by four days, is required to bring the n'orkers to 

 perfection ; their preparatory states occupying twenty 

 days, and those of the male even tucnty-four. The 

 former consumes half a day more than the queen in 

 spinning its cocoon, — a circumstance most probably oc- 

 casioned by a singular difference in the structure and 

 dimensions of this envelope, which I shall explain to 

 you presently. Thus you see that the peculiar cir- 



* Reaum. v. 271 — 



