CHAPTER LXXVII 



WAX 



IT was not necessary to remind Uncle Paul of his 

 promise. He took advantage of the first leisure 

 moment to tell the children the story of the bees. 



"A well-peopled hive contains from twenty to 

 thirty thousand bees. That is about the population 

 of our secondary towns. In a town all cannot fol- 

 low the same trade. Bakers make bread, masons 

 houses, carpenters furniture, tailors clothes; in 

 short, there are artisans for every occupation. In 

 like manner, in the social economy of the beehive, 

 there are various divisions ; namely, that of the moth- 

 ers, that of the fathers, and that of the workers. 



"For the first, there is only one bee in each hive. 

 This bee, mother of the whole population, is called 

 the queen. She is distinguished from the workers 

 by a large body and the absence of working imple- 

 ments. Her business is to lay eggs. She has as 

 many as twelve hundred at a time in her body, and 

 others keep on forming as fast as the first are laid. 

 What a formidable business is the queen's! But 

 then, what respectful attentions, what tender care 

 the other bees show to their common mother ! They 

 feed the noble mother by the mouthful; they give 

 her of the best, for she has not time to gather for 

 herself, and, to tell the truth, would not know how 



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