Natural History 527 



the princesses is awakening, and the remaining workers are 

 watching over her. She appears from the shelter of the royal 

 nursery, and the workers brush her and clean her and caress her. 

 Impelled by some strange instinct, she immediately seeks the 

 other cradles, tears open the cells and relentlessly stings her sis- 

 ters, her possible rivals, to death ! A few days later, on a bright 

 and sunny day, she leaves the hive for her nuptial flight. She 

 soars aloft into the blue sky followed by a crowd of drones from 

 neighbouring hives, and somewhere in the solitude of the blue 

 the strongest male overtakes her and meets love and death in 

 the same instant; and the bride-widow returns to the hive. 



Massacre of the Males 



For the remainder of the summer the busy life of the hive 

 goes on as before, the queen perpetually egg-laying, the workers 

 foraging and nursing, the drones leading a life of ease. But 

 one day the decree goes forth that those that do not work shall 

 not eat, indeed shall not live ; and the massacre of the males begins. 

 Vigorously and pitilessly the long-suffering workers at last turn 

 on the drones and slay them all. 



Flowers are becoming scarce, and the days are short and 

 chilly, so the bees cease their labours and prepare for the long 

 sleep of winter, if sleep it can be called, for the life of the hive 

 is slackened, not completely arrested. The bees gather together 

 in a great cluster, with their queen in their midst, and by the 

 beating of their wings they keep up a current of warm air. The 

 bees nearest the store cupboards pass the honey to their neigh- 

 bours, and so food is circulated through the drowsy mass, enough 

 to keep the fire of life glowing, ready to burst into flame again 

 with the return of spring. 



Among different kinds of bees there are different degrees 

 of sociability. Some, such as the Leaf-cutting Bee, are quite 

 solitary; others show a certain amount of co-operation combined 

 with a large amount of independence. 



