184 LECTURE XIY. 



hive, to about 35,000. Now, when a swarm 

 takes place, and is hived, the working bees 

 immediately begin to prepare cells, in which 

 the queen-bee deposits her eggs. Some of these 

 eggs produce drones, or male bees, and the 

 greatest number working bees. It is, however, 

 an interesting fact, that these latter seem to 

 know what proportion of cells they are to pro- 

 vide for each sort, though the eggs are at the 

 time in the inside of the queen-bee. She also 

 knows in which cell a drone or working bee's 

 egg is to be deposited, and when she comes to 

 the cell of either of these there the proper egg 

 is dropped. I have witnessed this operation in 

 one of my experimental hives with great inte- 

 rest ; and it seems to prove to me, as I hope it 

 will to you, how wonderfully a Divine Provi- 

 dence has watched over the well-being of His 

 creatures, and that nothing is too small, or 

 apparently too insignificant, to be unworthy of 

 His care, and, I might add, of His love. 



Bees have a great variety of peculiar instincts, 

 perhaps at least twenty, all of which, in different 

 ways, tend to their well-being, and are very 

 interesting. I will mention some of them. 



When a young queen-bee is ready to leave a 



