392 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



serves as nourishment for the bees. The working 

 bee, on its return from harvesting, puts its hind 

 legs into a cell where there is neither larva nor 

 honey, and with the end of its middle legs it detaches 

 the pellets and pushes them to the bottom. In re- 

 peating its trips it ends by filling both the cell in 

 which the honey is disgorged and that in which the 

 pollen is stored. The nurses draw on these provi- 

 sions when they go from cell to cell, distributing 

 small portions to the little ones; thence also they 

 get their own food; in fact, the whole population 

 finds its resources there when bad weather comes. 



"Flowers do not last all the year, and, moreover, 

 there are days of rest, rainy days when the bees 

 cannot go out. It is necessary, therefore, to have 

 pollen and honey in reserve, and to have a good 

 supply. So, when flowers are plenty and the har- 

 vest exceeds immediate requirements, the workers 

 gather honey and pollen untiringly and store it in 

 cells, which they close, as soon as full, with a cover 

 of wax. 



"These are reserve supplies, safeguards for the 

 future in case of scarcity. The wax cover is re- 

 ligiously respected; it would be a state crime to 

 touch it prematurely. In time of want the seals are 

 removed and each one draws from the open comb, 

 but with restraint and sobriety. The comb ex- 

 hausted, they break the seals of another." 



"How are young bees fed?" was Jules 's next 

 question. 



"When the cells destined to serve as nests are 

 prepared in sufficient number by the wax-bees, the 



