66 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



The process of rearing queens to meet some special 

 emergency, is even -more wonderful than the one already 

 described. If the bees have worker-eggs, or worms not 

 more than three days old, they make one large cell out 

 of three, by nibbling away the partitions of two cells 

 adjoining a third. Destroying the eggs or worms in two 

 of these cells, they place before the occupant of the other, 

 the usual food of the young queens ; and by enlarging its 

 cell, give it ample space for development. As a security 

 against failure, they usually start a number of queen-cells, 

 although often the work on all, except a few, is soon dis- 

 continued. 



In from eleven to fourteen days, they are in possession 

 of a new queen, in all respects resembling one reared in 

 the natural way ; while the eggs in the adjoining cells, 

 which have been developed as workers, are nearly a week 

 longer in coming to maturity. 



The beautiful representation of comb, in Plate XV III., is 

 taken, with important alterations and additions of my 

 own, from Cotton's " My Bee-Book," to which I am also 

 indebted for the group of bees in the title-page. The 

 royal cell (), is a perfect queen-cell, from which the 

 inmate has not yet emerged. The queen-cell (a), repre- 

 sents the cap or lid as it often appears just after the young 

 queen has hatched. The queen-cell (of), which is open at 

 the side, is one from which a young queen has been vio- 

 lently abstracted ; the other (c), is oife which the bees 

 have nearly reduced to the acorn shape. It also resem- 



weakened by the extraordinary afflux of light, and the use of microscopes, to con- 

 tinue any longer upon such small objects. 



" He often wished, the better to accomplish his vast, unlimited views, for a year 

 of perpetual heat and light to perfect his inquiries ; with a polar night, to reap all 

 the advantages of them by proper drawings and descriptions." 



