82 BEES. 



Her only business is, to people her dominions, 

 and this she fulfils with so much exactitude, 

 as to merit the most honourable of all titles, 

 '—the Parent of her Country. To insure 

 the love of her subjects, 'tis necessary she 

 should have from ten to twelve thousand 

 children in the space of seven weeks, and one 

 year with another, from thirty to forty thou- 

 sand. Her sacred majesty is easily distin- 

 guished by a long and slender shape. Her 

 wings are however much shorter : for her 

 people have wings which cover the whole 

 body ; in her they terminate about half way, 

 at the third ring of her admired form. The 

 queen indeed has, like the rest, a sting and 

 a bladder of poison ; but she is not so easily 

 provoked to call them into her assistance : 

 when she does, the wound is deeper and 

 much more painful. 



The drones, or the thousand husbands of 

 this little quten are found in the hive only 

 from the beginning of May to the end of 

 July. Their number increases every day 

 during that period of time, and is at the 

 greatest when the queen is breeding : — and 

 ►strange to tell, in a few days after they 



