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  XX. 
  On 
  the 
  Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Queen, 
  Drone 
  and 
  

   Worker 
  of 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee 
  ; 
  to 
  which 
  are 
  added 
  Observa- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  Practical 
  Importance 
  of 
  this 
  Knowledge 
  in 
  

   deciding 
  whether 
  to 
  preserve 
  Stocks 
  or 
  Swarms: 
  being 
  

   the 
  Prize 
  Essay 
  of 
  the 
  Entomological 
  Society 
  of 
  London 
  

   for 
  1852. 
  By 
  J. 
  G. 
  Desborough, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  tenui 
  labor 
  at 
  tenuis 
  non 
  gloria." 
  

  

  For 
  ages 
  past 
  the 
  bee 
  has 
  many 
  times 
  occupied 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  

   the 
  naturah'st, 
  and 
  numerous 
  works 
  have 
  appeared 
  under 
  various 
  

   titles, 
  some 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  management 
  of 
  the 
  honey 
  bee 
  alone, 
  

   and 
  others 
  of 
  its 
  management, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  natural 
  history 
  ; 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  

   somewhat 
  remarkable 
  that 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  treated 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  

   duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  honey 
  bee 
  ;" 
  and 
  although 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   hee 
  books 
  an 
  occasional 
  sentence 
  touching 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  bees 
  may 
  be 
  

   observed, 
  no 
  connected 
  or 
  definite 
  information 
  or 
  argument 
  on 
  

   that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  poet 
  Virgil 
  in 
  his 
  fourth 
  Georgii.', 
  alluding 
  to 
  this 
  subject, 
  

   says, 
  " 
  Neque 
  enim 
  plus 
  septima 
  ducitur 
  sestas," 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   very 
  clear 
  whether 
  he 
  alludes 
  to 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  bee 
  individually, 
  

   or 
  to 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  a 
  stock 
  of 
  bees. 
  "Stat 
  fortuna 
  domus," 
  

   would 
  incline 
  us 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  stock 
  was 
  here 
  spoken 
  of, 
  and 
  

   not 
  the 
  single 
  bee. 
  

  

  A 
  degree 
  of 
  mystery 
  likewise 
  pervades 
  the 
  volumes 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  

   writers 
  on 
  bees, 
  and 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  ^'' 
  bee 
  superstitions" 
  

   are 
  prevalent 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  kingdom, 
  and 
  their 
  influence 
  is 
  so 
  

   powerful, 
  that 
  any 
  attempt 
  to 
  alter 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  bee 
  management 
  

   practised 
  by 
  the 
  forefathers 
  of 
  the 
  cottage 
  beekeepers, 
  is 
  looked 
  

   upon 
  with 
  a 
  suspicion 
  scarcely 
  to 
  be 
  credited 
  unless 
  experienced. 
  

  

  The 
  system 
  usually 
  adopted 
  by 
  cottagers 
  in 
  keeping 
  their 
  bees 
  

   affords 
  but 
  little 
  scope 
  for 
  observation 
  ; 
  indeed 
  the 
  only 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  which 
  can 
  possibly 
  be 
  made 
  under 
  such 
  a 
  system 
  are 
  the 
  

   external 
  appearances 
  of 
  the 
  hives 
  or 
  stocks 
  ; 
  the 
  queen 
  is 
  never 
  

   seen, 
  the 
  combs 
  containing 
  the 
  brood 
  cannot 
  in 
  anyway 
  be 
  in- 
  

   spected, 
  and 
  even 
  after 
  the 
  murderous 
  hand 
  of 
  their 
  master 
  has 
  

   deprived 
  the 
  stock 
  of 
  its 
  existence, 
  the 
  bees 
  are 
  unceremoniously 
  

   buried 
  without 
  notice 
  ; 
  we 
  cannot, 
  therefore, 
  expect 
  much 
  assist- 
  

  

  VOL. 
  II. 
  N. 
  S. 
  PART 
  v. 
  — 
  JUNE, 
  1853. 
  L 
  

  

  