THE HONEY-BEE. 87 



small importance in bee-economy; for., were the 

 Queen's cocoon completely to envelope her body,, her 

 destruction by her rivals would be rendered extremely 

 difficult ; the texture of the covering is so close, that 

 the sting would be unable to penetrate it, or, if the 

 attempt were made, it might be entangled by its barbs 

 in the meshes of the cocoon, and the struggling female, 

 unable to disengage it, would become the victim of 

 her own fury. In spinning the cocoon, the Queen 

 spends only 24 hours ; she remains in a death-like 

 torpidity between two and three days, is then meta- 

 morphosed into a nymph, and, after remaining in that 

 state four days and a half, she comes forth a perfect 

 Queen on the sixteenth day. In the case of the wor- 

 kers and males, the transformation is no sooner com- 

 pleted than they are at liberty to abandon the confine- 

 ment of the cradle, and hasten, the former, at least, 

 to partake of the labours of the community, and 

 to range the fields and * flower-gardens in the very 

 plenitude of bee-enjoyment. But the case is different 

 with the young Queens ; like other sovereigns, they 

 pay the tax of their high estate in having their inclin- 

 ations put under restraint for the public good. The 

 royal insect is not permitted to leave the cell, and, 

 as generally happens, to lead off a swarm, unless the 

 weather be very favourable. Were she to obtain her 

 liberty, while, at the same time, emigration was 

 prevented by the state of the external atmosphere, 

 or other circumstances, there would be a plurality of 

 Queens in the hive, and mortal strife would ensue. 

 The young Queen, therefore, is detained a captive, 



