BEES. 71 



How numerous soever the Bees in one 

 swarm may appear to be, they all originate 

 from a single parent. It is indeed surprising, 

 that one small insect should in a few months 

 give birth to so many young; but, on open- 

 ing her body at a certain time of the year, 

 eggs to the number of many thousands are to 

 be found contained in it. 



The queen is easily distinguished from the 

 rest by the size and shape of her body. On 

 her depends the welfare of the whole commu- 

 nity ; and, by the attention that is paid to all 

 her movements, it is evident how much they 

 depend upon her security. She is seen at 

 times with a numerous retinue, marching 

 from cell to cell, plunging the extremity cf 

 her body into each of them, and leaving in 

 each an egg. 



A day or two after this egg is deposited, 

 the grub is excluded from the shell, having 

 the shape of a maggot rolled up in a ring, 

 and lying softly on a bed of whitish-coloured 

 jelly, on which it begins to feed. The com- 

 mon Bees then attend with astonishing ten- 

 derness and anxiety : they furnish it with 

 food, and watch over it with unremitting assi- 



