BOMBUS, 1HE HUMBLE-BEE 77 

 latter is of many kinds, so that the burden of 

 her thighs is streaked with white, lemon, yellow, 

 orange and bright red pollen grains. 



If the first three or four batches of eggs hatch 

 out into healthy and vigorous workers, the queen, 

 who, after four or five weeks' incessant toil, is 

 somewhat the worse for wear and obviously 

 tired out, relinquishes her outdoor labours and 

 confines herself to laying eggs and tending the 

 larvae at home. Should, however, the young 

 brood prove weak, either in numbers or in 

 physique, she sacrifices herself to the public 

 welfare and continues to gather food. A curious 

 relation exists between the amount of food sup- 

 plied and the size of the recipient. The early 

 broods, when the queen alone, or the queen and 

 a few workers, form the Army Service Corps, 

 are smaller than the later broods, who have scores 

 of workers to minister to them. Again, a few 

 of the larvae are necessarily pushed a little to the 

 side as the crowded waxen cells increase in bulk, 

 and they may even have to form a horizontal 

 cocoon instead of a vertical one. Such larvae 

 fare ill as to nourishment and develop into dwarf 

 bees, usually with defective wings. They may 

 be no bigger than a house fly. Should, by some 



