THE HONEY-BEE. 93 



royalty. We contemplated the possibility of Loth 

 falling in the conflict at the same moment an in- 

 stance of such a calamity having come to our know- 

 ledge and therefore with a view of remedying such 

 an evil, if it should occur, and thus of preventing the 

 total destruction of the hive, we took a piece of comb 

 from another hive, containing worker eggs, and worms 

 of the proper age, according to the directions of 

 Huber, and fixed it in the experimental hive, that 

 the bees might rear for themselves a new queen, 

 should the combat terminate with a double death. 

 To our astonishment, for at this time both queens 

 were alive, we saw the bees next morning busily 

 occupied in building a royal cell in the new piece of 

 comb. They had demolished two or three cells ad- 

 joining the one they had pitched on for the royal 

 cradle, and were now eagerly labouring at its enlarge 

 ment, giving it a circular instead of a hexagonal form, 

 and bestowing unceasing attention on the larva it 

 contained. During the day the royal cell made con- 

 siderable progress, and in the afternoon of the day 

 following, it extended about half an inch vertically. 

 Next day, it advanced rapidly; the worm had attained 

 to a great size, and the bees were unwearied in feed- 

 ing it. On the fifth day, the cell was sealed, and on 

 the fourteenth a young queen was hatched ; but her 

 enjoyment of life and liberty was very short. She was 

 instantly surrounded by a mass of bees, who hemmed 

 her in so closely, that but a very small part of her body 

 was visible. She made many painful and unavailing 

 struggles to escape, and emitted every minute a plain- 

 *''ve sound. All the **kile, the reigning queen (for the 



