Retrospective Criticism. 95 



these last offer to theirs, even Huber acknowledges we must confess our 

 ignorance." 



I had spoken of Dr. Dunbar's " doubtful quotations from Huber." But 

 he says, that, strictly speaking, he has made no quotations from Huber. But 

 some of his remarks, though not exactly quotations, are so evidently borrowed 

 from that writer, that they may fairly be considered as quotations ; for in- 

 stance, where Dr. Dunbar says that the young queens go quietly abroad in 

 search of males. This accords precisely with Huber's assertion, that imprfcg- 

 nation takes place in the air, a thing extremely doubtful. Even that observa- 

 tion which Dr. Dunbar professedly takes from Huber, is not very clear; 

 namely, that " as to the secret means nature employs to induce the old queen 

 to leave her abode without having recourse to the same violence towards her 

 successors as these last offer to theirs, even Huber acknowledges we must 

 confess our ignorance." By this one might be led to think that the old queen 

 never does violently attack her rivals. But this is not always the case ; for 

 in one of my hives, this season, the old queen delayed coming forth, and the 

 same piping and rivalry commenced as in an after-swarm. 



I may here observe that, when no swarm is meditated, the destruction of 

 young queens commences the same under the sway of a young queen as under 

 an old one. But Dr. Dunbar intimates (p. 151.) that the virgin queens have 

 not full sway, nor are permitted to kill their rivals, till they have been successful 

 in their adventures abroad in search of males. This appears strangely irre- 

 concilable with facts ; for it often happens that a swarm leaves the hive in 

 the afternoon, and before morning the young queens are cast out, and even 

 in a grub state. In such cases, the young queens must have been expert in- 

 deed to find drones, when it was past their usual time to be abroad. 



I have next to notice an error in my article, upon which Dr. Dunbar re- 

 marks that he did not state that the " queen, hearing her rivals in their cells, 

 attacks them ; " for he knew she would attack them whether they cried or 

 not : but that he does say that " she leaves the hive before any of her rivals 

 come forth ; " in opposition to my assertion that " this is certainly not the 

 case, as there are frequently several queens in an after-swarm." Though I 

 was wrong in stating what'Dr. Dunbar disavows, the subject in dispute is not 

 affected by my mistake ; for the queens certainly do hear their rivals in their 

 cells before they attack them. I know this, from the fact of my having this 

 season cut out a cell while the queen within it was calling. The cell was firmly 

 sealed, so that no attacks from the irritated queen could have caused the one 

 in the cell to cry " off, ofi'! " This convinced me that the piping of queens 

 commences before rivalry. 



But I still maintain that no after-swarm comes off till more than one queen 

 is in the field. In proof, I may mention that this season I observed, just when 

 a second swarm was making its exit, two queens fighting at the entrance of the 

 hive, as if disputing which should quit. They both went back into the hive, 

 and the bees also reentered. Shortly after, the bees came out again, and 

 the two queens again appeared fighting as before. At last one mingled with 

 the swarm, and the other returned into the hive. 



In another hive, when a swarm was coming forth, a young queen came out, 

 appeared very weak, and dropped on the ground. Shortly after a stronger 

 one appeared, and went off with the swarm. In both these cases, queens 

 had come forth before the swarming, and in the first there was rivalry also ; 

 which is in direct opposition to Dr. Dunbar's assertion that the queen " leaves 

 the hive before any of her rivals come forth." What I have here i-emarked 

 from actual observation agrees with Huber's statement, that a certain degree 

 of tumult commences as soon as the young queens are hatched, and begin to 

 traverse the hive. 



The way in which Dr. Dunbar accounts for more than one queen being 

 sometimes found in an after-swarm, namely, that " they take advantage of 

 the confusion caused by the mass of bees, including their guards, following 

 the departed queen, to escape from their cells, and mingle with the crowd 



