182 NATURAL HISTORY. 



fluid. The queen is easily recognized by her superior 

 size, and the males or drones by the absence of the sting. 

 The honey bees establish their dwellings either in a pre- 

 pared hive or some cavity, such as are found in hollow 

 trees, etc. ; these are skillfully arranged, and it is a most 

 interesting sight to watch a young swarm beginning to 

 found a new colony. One company of workers prepare 

 the interior of their future dwelling by clearing off all 

 incumbrances, another collects materials, such as wax or 

 gluey substances, filling up the crevices so as to exclude 

 damp air or prevent the intrusion of foes ; this being 

 finished, they begin the construction of their combs. 

 These, composed of hexagon-shaped cells, formed of wax, 

 constituting a series of little cups, regularly placed in rows, 

 and called honeycomb, are so thin that three or four of 

 these laminae, laid together, are hardly as thick as com- 

 mon paper. Every mass of comb is an inch thick, and 

 the interval or space allowed between them, admits the 

 passage of two bees abreast. There is never but one 

 queen in a hive, the mother of the whole stock ; her only 

 task is to lay eggs in such numbers as is not only suffi- 

 cient to keep up the population of the community, but 

 to send forth a new colony annually. 



The workers are said to be imperfectly developed 

 females, and form the basis of the commonwealth. Fly- 

 ing over the fields, apparently in search of pleasure, 

 they are, nevertheless, usefully employed, and with unre- 

 mitting industry extract sweet juices from the cups of 

 flowers, which serve partly for their own nourishment, 

 but more especially for the future sustenance of the 

 young larvae. On returning home thus laden, they deposit 

 the greater portion of their store within the magazine 

 cells, retaining only so much as satisfies their present 



