256 THE HUMBLE-BEE 



probably because it had an egg or two to lay in it, 

 but was thrown clown by a terrific charge from 

 another which proceeded at once to seal up the 

 cell. But the latter soon left this work to rush 

 at a third which drew near. Hurrying back 

 it found that a fourth had dared to approach the 

 cell. This one seemed to be particularly dangerous 

 and hateful, and seizing it, it hurled it down and 

 tried to sting it. This was the opportunity for a 

 fifth to take possession of the cell, and this one 

 in its turn jealously and energetically guarded it 

 until it too was deposed. Thus the squabbling 

 went on, but there was no general commotion as 

 when the Psithyrus was present, and most of the 

 bees not engaged in laying eggs were peacefully 

 occupied incubating or feeding the Psithyrus brood. 

 It was clear that the workers deposed the 

 Psithyrus queen, and I think that this was the 

 culminating act in a revolt that the queen had all 

 along found it difficult to repress. The episode 

 was much more than a mere conflict between a 

 rupestris queen and a number of lapidarius workers. 

 It was an incident in the everlasting struggle be- 

 tween a parasite and its host, in which the destinies 

 of both species are involved. The rupestris queen, 

 following her instinct for the propagation of her 

 species, laid her eggs and endeavoured to prevent the 

 lapidarius workers from laying any of theirs. The 

 lapidarius workers, on the other hand, endeavoured 

 to destroy the Psithyrus eggs, and were ready to 

 lay some of their own. The Psithyrus would have 



