BOOK XI. XVIII. 55-58 



portents when a cluster of them hangs suspended in Portents 



liouses and temples, portents that have often been fg^ ^ 



expiated by great events. They alighted on the 



mouth of Plato even when he was still an infant, 



portending the charm of that matchless eloquence ; 



and they alighted in the camp of General 



Drusus on the occasion of the very successful battle 



of Arbalo — as there are certainly exceptions to the 



interpretation of the augurs, who invariably think 



this a direful portent. The capture of the leader a king 



holds up the whole body, and when they have lost aw"^^"* 



him they separate and migrate to other lords ; in 



any case they are unable to be without a king. 



But when the kings have become too numerous 



they reluctantly destroy them, and by preference 



they destroy their homes while they are being born. 



If a supply of honey is despaired of, then they even 



drive away the drones. Nevertheless I see that Function 0/ 



there is a doubt about these also, and that some '''""^^' 



persons think them to form a breed of their own, 



llke the robber-bees, the largest in size among the 



drones but black and with a broad belly, which have 



this designation because they steal and devour the 



honey. It is certain that the drones are killed by 



the bees ; at all events they do not have a king in 



the same way as the other bees do ; but whether they 



are born without a sting is a doubtful point. 



Bees breed better in a damp spring, but produce Hotc 

 more honey in a dry one. If there is a dearth of^l%f^^-^ 

 food for some hives, they make a raid on their Batties oj 

 neighbours for the purpose of phuider ; but the bees 

 attacked form in Hne of battle to resist, and if the 

 bee-keeper is present whichever side thinks that he 

 favours it does not attack him. They also often 



467 



