436 INSECTS. 



consequently destroy their worms, which would be an unnecessary 

 sacrifice, and nature has opposed it. Therefore, leaving the 

 bottom rhomboidal, they are satisfied with raising a cylindrical 

 tube around the worm, which, like the other cells in the comb, 

 is horizontal. But this habitation remains suitable to the worm 

 called to the royal state, only during the first three days of its 

 existence ; another situation is requisite for the other two days it 

 is a worm. During that time, though so small a portion of its 

 life, it must inhabit a cell nearly of a pyramidical figure, and 

 hanging perpendicularly. The workers therefore gnaw away the 

 cells surrounding the cylindrical tube, mercilessly sacrifice their 

 worms, and use the wax in constructing a new pyramidical tube, 

 which they solder at right angles to the first, and work it down- 

 wards. The diameter of this pyramid decreases insensibly from 

 the base, which is very wide, to the point. In proportion as the 

 worm grows, the bees labour in extending the cell, and bring food, 

 which they place before its mouth, and around its body, forming 

 a kind of cord around it. The worm, which can move only in a 

 spiral direction, turns incessantly to take the food before its head : 

 it insensibly descends, and at length arrives at the orifice of the 

 cell. Now is the time of transformation to a nymph. As any 

 further care is unnecessary, the bees close the cell with a peculiar 

 substance appropriated for it, and there the worm undergoes both 

 its metamorphoses." 



M. Huber states several points, however, in which his expe- 

 rience leads him to differ from M. Schirach. The latter observer 

 having remarked, that larves three days old were generally selected 

 for the royal treatment, concluded that this age of three days was 

 an essential requisite ; but M. Huber found, that those two days 

 old, or on-ly a few hours old, were sometimes chosen to the throne, 

 and became perfect queens. We shall extract one experiment at 

 length, as it both demonstrates the reality of common larves being 

 converted into queens, and shows the little influence which their 

 age has on the effects of the operation. " I put some pieces of 

 comb, with some workers' eggs, in the cells, and of the same kind as 

 those already hatched, into a hive deprived of the queen. The 

 same day several cells were enlarged by the bees, and converted 

 into royal cells, and the worms supplied with a thick bed of jelly. 



