through which the captive queen thrusts 

 her tongue, and receives food from the 

 workers. In this state of confinement tlie 

 young queen utters a low, querulous note, 

 wliicli lias been compared to singing.— 

 Wiien the reigning, or newly created queen, 

 finds one of these captives, she uses every 

 effort to tear open tlie ceil and destroy lier 

 rival. To prevent this, the workers often 

 interpose, pulling her away by the legs and 

 wings ; to tiiis she submits for a short time, 

 when, uttering a peculiar cry, called her 

 voice of sovereignty, she commands instant 

 attention and obedience, and is at once 

 freed from her assailants. 



The cocoons spun by the maggots of the 

 workers and drones completely envelop the 

 chrysalis ; but that spun by the maggot of 

 the queen appears imperfect, covering only 

 the upper end of the chrysalis. It has been 

 supposed that they are thus designedly 

 exposed to the attacks of other queens, and 

 their destruction, before emerging, facili- 

 tated. When the chrysalis of the queen is 

 about to change to a perfect insect, the 

 bees make the cover of the cell thinner by 

 gnawing away part of the wax ; and with 

 so much nicety do they perform this opera- 

 tion, that the cover at last becomes pellu- 

 cid, owing to its extreme thinness. 



The combs of a beehive comprise a con- 

 geries of hexagonal cells, built by the bees 

 as a receptacle for honey, and for the nur- 

 series of their young ; each comb in a hive 

 is composed of 2 ranges of cells, backed 

 against each other. The base or partition 

 between this double row of cells is so dis- 



Eosed as to form a pyramidical cavity at the 

 ottom of each. There is a continued 

 series of these double combs in every well- 

 filled hive— the spaces between them being 

 just sufficient to allow two bees, one on the 

 surface of each comb, to pass without 

 touching. 



Each cell is hexagonal, the 6 sides being 

 perfectly equal. This figure ensures the 

 greatest possible economy of material and 

 space ; the outer edges of the cells are 

 Slightly thickened, in order to gain 

 strength ; the same part is also covered 

 with a beautiful varnish, which is supposed 

 to give additional strength. The construc- 

 tion of several combs is generally going on 

 at the same time ; no sooner is the founda- 

 tion of one laid, with a few rows of cells 

 attached to it, than a second and a third are 

 founded on each side, pai'allel to the first, 

 and so on till the hive is filled— the combs 

 which were commenced first being always 

 in the most advanced state, and tlierefore 

 the first completed. 



The design of every comb is sketched out, 

 and the first rudiments laid by a single bee. 

 The foundress-bee forms a block out of a 

 rough mass of wax, drawn partly from its 

 own resources, but principally trom those 

 of other bees, which lurnisn wax trom sacs, 

 in which it has been secreted, that are situ- 

 ated between the segments of the body of 

 tlie bee ; taking out the plates of wax with 

 their hind feet, and carrying it with their 

 fore feet to their mouths, where it is mois- 

 tened, masticated, and rendered soft and 

 ductile. The foundress-bee determines the 

 relative position of the combs, and their 

 distance from each other, the foundations 



which she marks serving as guides to the 

 ulterior labors of the wax-working bees, 

 and of those who build the cells, giving 

 them the advantage of the margins and 

 angles already formed. The mass of wax 

 prepared by the assistants is applied by the 

 foundress-bee to the roof or bottom of the 

 hive, and thus a slightly double convex 

 mass is formed ; when ot sufficient size, a 

 cell is sculptured on one side of it by the 

 bees, who relieve one another in the labor. 

 At the back, and on each side of this first 

 cell, two others are sketched out and exca- 

 vated. By this proceeding, the foundations 

 of two cells are laid ; the line betwixt them 

 corresponding with the centre of the oppo- 

 site cells. As the comb extends, the first 

 excavations are rendered deeper and 

 broader ; and when a pyramidal base is 

 finished, the bees build up walls from its 

 edges, so as to complete what may be 

 called the prismatic part of the cell. 



The cells intended for the drones are con- 

 siderably larger and more substantial than 

 those for the workers, and being formed 

 subsequently, they usually appear nearer 

 the bottom of the combs. 



Last of all are built the royal cells for the 

 queens. Of these there are usually 3 or 4, 

 sometimes 10 or 13 in a hive, attached com- 

 pletely to the central part, but not unfre- 

 quently to the edge of the comb. The form 

 of the royal cells is an oblong, spheroid, 

 tapering gradually downwards, and having 

 the exterior full of holes. The mouth of 

 the cell, which is always at the bottom, 

 remains open until the maggot is ready for 

 transportation, and it is then closed like the 

 rest. When the queen has emerged, the 

 cell in which she was reared is destroyed, 

 and its place is supplied by a range of com- 

 mon cells. The site of this range may be 

 always traced by that part of the comb 

 being thicker than the rest, and forming a 

 kind of a knot. The common breedmg 

 cells of drones and workers are occasion- 

 ally made the depositories of honey ; but 

 the cells are never sufficiently cleansed to 

 preserve the honey undeteriorated. 



The finest honey is stored in new cells 

 constructed for the purpose of receiving it, 

 their form precisely resembling that of the 

 common breeding-cells. The honey-cells 

 vary in size, being larger or smaller accord- 

 ing to the productiveness of the sources 

 from which the bees are collecting, and 

 according to the season. 



It is remarkable that all animals that 

 have been long under the protection of man 

 seem to lose a part of their natural sagac- 

 ity. In those countries where the bees are 

 wild, and unprotected by man, they are 

 always sure to build their waxen cells in 

 the hollows of trees ; but with us they 

 appear improvident of their choice, and the 

 first green branch whicli stops their flight 

 is deemed sufficient for their abode It 

 does not even appear that the queen chooses 

 the place where they are to alight- for 

 numbers of the swarms, when they con- 

 ceive a predilection for any particular 

 branch, spontaneously settle on it : others 

 follow their example, and at last the queen 

 herself, finding tlie majority of the swarm 

 convened together, condescends to place 

 herself among them. The queen beino- 



