qi-i:f.n'-dee.] the ]\I AN AGEMENT OF TIFK Al'IAliY. [qi'EKit.ijee. 



dowiuvards; inserts her abdomen into tliocell, 

 and turns half round on liersselt*. In a I'l'W 

 Beconii.s the vi;^!; is safely deposited in tlio ci-ll, 

 wlien she witluiraws ber body, and thus pasacs 

 on from cell to cell. Wliilst she ia making 

 this progress she is the subjeet of the most 

 maikod attention of the workers. Thev show 

 their alloction for her by caressing her with 



death of one of the combatants. This mutual 

 enmity is an inborn dispusition with them. 

 No sooner has the tjueeu-bee in o hive thrown 

 off a second swarm, and escaped frotn her own 

 cradle, than she iiurries away in search of her 

 rival, and, with tho moat impetuous eager- 

 ness, uses every exertit)n to destroy her. 

 To rehearse tho many stories which have 



their antennro, and occasionally supplying her been told of the attachment and homage which 



with food from their probosees, " t)n one oc- 

 casion," says the writer of the article on the 

 bee, in the I^^utitralist's Library, " we gave her 

 subjects an opportunity of testifying their 

 courar/c in her defence, as well as their affec- 

 tion and zeal. Observing her laying eggs in 

 the comb next to the glass of the hive, wo 

 gently but quietly opened the pane, and en- 

 deavoured to seize ber. But no sooner did 



the working bees show to their queen, would 

 be endless. One or two must sullice. In 

 the notes to l)r. Evans' poem of The Bees, 

 we find the following affecting anecdote: — 

 "A queen, in a thinly-peopled hive, lay on a 

 iioneycomb, apparently dyijig; six woikerj 

 surrounded her, seemingly in intent regard, 

 quivering their wings as if to fan lier, and 

 with extended stings, as if to keep off in- 



Ihe removal of the glass afford room (while traders and assailants. On presenting tliem 

 shut, it was almost in contact with her back), honey, though it was eagerly devoured by the 

 and before we could accomplish our purpose, other bees, the guards were so completely 

 they threw their bodies upon her, to the absorbed in their mournful duty, as entirely to 

 number of, at least, a hundred, and formed a disregard the proffered banquet. The follow- 

 cone over her of such magnitude, that she ing day, the queen, though lifeless, was still 

 could not be less than two inches distant from surrounded by her guard; and this faithful 

 any part of the surface. We dispersed the , band of attendants, as well as the other mem- 

 mass with our finger, and got hold of her : bers of the family, remained at their post till 

 precious person, and kftpt looking at her for | death came kindly to extinguish both their 

 some minutes before we restored the captive affections and their grief; for though con- 

 to her alarmed defenders. It is remarkable stantly supplied with honey, not a bee re- 

 that this violence was not resented by them : mained alive at the end of the four days." 

 though they coursed over our hands in scores This is an extraordinary instance of bee de- 

 while we kept hold of their mistress, not one votedness ; and, we presume, is not common, 

 individual used its sting. The all-engrossing i We can give, i'rom another writer, an instance 

 object was the queen." The same writer of an opposite kind. It is in the case of a 

 remarks, that bees may be even roughly hive which, having early exhausted its store, 

 handled without danger of being stung when was found, on being examined one morning, 

 they are swarming. Then, being only intent to be utterly deserted: the comb was empty; 

 on securing a habitation for themselves and \ and the only symptom of life was the poor 



their sovereign, they seem incapable of enter- 

 taining, at the same moment, two diflerent 

 ideas, and their natural irritability is not 

 awakened to exertion. There is one striking 



queen herself, " unfriended, melancholy, slow," 

 crawling over the honeyless cells — a sad spec- 

 tacle of the fall of bee greatness. The writer 

 thinks that Marius among the ruins of Car- 



feature in the natural history of queen-bees ; thage, or Napoleon I. at Fontainebleau, was 

 and that is, the hatred which they have for nothing to this. In reference to the homage 

 each other. Queen Elizabeth's to Mary, Queen I which they show their queen, if we are to 

 of Scots, was as nothing to it, notwithstanding believe Sydserff, it would appear, that " when- 



that it stimulated the English lady to take otF 

 the head of her fairer cousin. When two 

 queen- bees in a hive happen to emerge from 

 their cells at the same time, a pitched battle 



ever the queen goes forth to take the air, as 

 she often does, many of the small bees attend 

 upon her, guarding her before and behind. 

 By their sound I have known when her ma- 



takes place, which is only terminated bv the jcsty has been coming forth, and have had 



997 



