as if angTy at the delay, began herself thd arduous task, 

 the workers remaining quiet spectators. The queen made 

 several violent tugs to disengage it, but her efforts proved 

 fruitless. She then retired, not without an appearance of 

 displeasure. The workers then renewed their attempts, 

 about a dozen at a time, and at intervals ceased to enlarge, 

 while they tried to pull the nymph out, but were still dis- 

 appointed ; for on pulHng* the nymph upwards she was 

 pressed more into the convexity of the top. Four hours 

 were thus employed, when the queen returned, with like 

 demeanour as before, and proceeded with redoubled efforts 

 to extricate the nymph, but still, unfortunately, with no 

 better success, and finally relinquished the toil with g-reat 

 concern. However, the labourers resumed the task of en- 

 iarg-ement from top to bottom, which was not effected till 

 near twelve o'clock ; a business of seven hours to draw the 

 nymph out. It was full-g-rown, but — deadV^ The expla- 

 nation given is, that the season having been bad, the wax 

 was formed too coarsely, and much thicker than usual. The 

 royal pupa was therefore unable to extricate herself at the 

 right time, and not doing- so, the bees, knowing that she 

 might to have ajjpearcd, were sure there was something' the 

 matter, and did exactly what any other sensible beings (bees 

 or men) would have done, opened it to see, and to aid if not 

 too late. 



This anecdote appears completely to contradict the 

 opinion of those naturalists who assert, that although the 

 bees do remove the wax from the cell of the royal infant, as 

 the time draws near for it to pass into the winged state, 

 yet they do not do so for the purpose of aiding the im- 

 prisoned insect, but merely in obedience to the instinct of 

 sculpturing which is implanted in them, and which induces 

 them to scoop away the wax at the edges of the combs 

 where it is formed into the shape of cells, although the 

 cells are not the eighth of an inch in depth. 



We must now take a sliglit glance at the more salient 

 j)oints of Bee Government. 



The ^^ busy " bee, then, is by no means so busy as he is 

 commonly supposed. He finds time for leisure and relaxa- 

 tion as well as for work. Mr. Grant thinks the bees work in 

 relays for about six hours, and that sleep duly follow a 



