PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 163 



After this they soon become tranquil, and none are seen 

 in the air. Before they are housed they often begin to 

 construct a little comb on the branch on which they 

 alight a . Sometimes it happens that two queens go out 

 with the same swarm ; and the result is, that the swarm 

 at first divides into two bodies, one under each leader ; 

 but as one of these groups is generally much less nume- 

 rous than the other, the smallest at last joins the largest, 

 accompanied by the queen to whom they had attached 

 themselves ; and, when they are hived, this unfortunate 

 candidate for empire falls sooner or later a victim to the 

 jealousy of her rival. Till this great question is decided, 

 the bees do not settle to their usual labours a . If no 

 queen goes out with a swarm, they return to the hive 

 from whence they came. 



As in regular monarchies, so in this of the bees, the 

 first-born is probably the fortunate candidate for the 

 throne. She is usually the most active and vigorous ; 

 the most able to take flight ; and in the best condition 

 to lay eggs. Though the queen that is victorious, and 

 mounts the throne, is not, as Virgil asserts, resplendent 

 with gold and purple, and her rival hideous, slothful 

 and unwieldy b , yet some differences are observable ; the 

 successful candidate is usually redder and larger than 

 the others ; these last, upon dissection, appear to have 

 no eggs ready for laying, while the former, which is a 

 powerful recommendation, is usually full of them. Eggs 



a Reaumur, 615-644. 



b " Alter erit rnaculis auro squalentibus ardens, 



(Nam duo sunt genera) hie melior, insigni$ et ore, 

 Et rutilis clarus squamis : ille horridus alter 

 Desidia, latamque trahens inglorius alvum," 



Georg. iv. 91 

 M 2 



