THE QUEEN-BEE 399 



Royal unity is restored, and the hive proceeds to 

 resume its accustomed order and work." 



"The bees are very naughty to force the queens 

 to kill one another until there is only one left, ' ' com- 

 mented Emile. 



"It is necessary, my little friend; their instinct 

 demands it. Otherwise civil war would rage unceas- 

 ingly in the hive. But this hard necessity does not 

 make them forget for one moment the respect due to 

 royal dignity. What is to prevent their getting rid 

 of the superfluous queens themselves, even as they 

 so unceremoniously get rid of the drones ? But this 

 they are very careful not to do. What one of their 

 number would dare to draw the sword against their 

 sovereigns, even when they are a serious encum- 

 brance ? The saving of life not being in their power, 

 they save honor by letting the pretenders fight it 

 out among themseleves. 



"There is always the possibility that the queen, 

 at a time when she is reigning alone and supreme, 

 may perish by accident or die of old age. The tees 

 press respectfully around the deceased; they brush 

 her tenderly, offer her honey as if to revive her; 

 turn her over, feel her lovingly, and treat her with 

 all the regard they gave to her when alive. It takes 

 several days for them to understand, at last, that she 

 is dead, quite dead, and that all their attentions are 

 11 -floss. Then there is general mourning. Ev r\ 

 evening for two <r three days a lugubrious humming, 

 a sort of funeral dirge, is ln-anl in the hive. 



"The mourning over, they think about replacing 



