364 INSECTS THAT LAIVE 
the great book, which contain the sur- 
prising phenomenon, of which bees offer 
the only example. 
. At this period we observe a vast num- 
ber of males in the hives ; they quit them 
in a large body, and disperse. The 
young queen alone, without followers, 
leaves her abode, goes forth to be im- 
pregnated in the air, and returns to her 
numerous family, bringing back not only 
titles to the consideration of her subjects, 
but the indisputable proof, that the fa- 
voured male has lost his life in perform- 
ing this last duty. A thousand curious 
circumstances attend this brilliant dis- 
covery. 
__. Shall we at present speak of the combat 
of the queens; of their imprisonment ; of 
the expulsion of the supernumeraries? Let 
us rather leave to the reader the pleasure 
of learning these astonishing truths in the 
original, and let us see what passes, under 
the same circumstances, with ants. In 
this instance, the males and females are 
distinguished from the unprolific race, 
as 
