514 T!1E E'£E. 



queen, which Virgil, and the other writers of antiqiritj-v 

 have charged with all the cares of government, is indeed 

 bufily occupied, but in functions of a different kind ; and 

 thefe are, the produflion of a vail number of eggs, which 

 ihe continues to drop, one afcer another, into the empty 

 cells, during a confiderable part of the fummer. This 

 animal, which is fo amazingly productive, on being open- 

 ed, has been found to contain upwards of five thoufand 

 eggs, all of a fize fufficient to be perceptible. If we 

 make allowance for thofe that were already dropped, and 

 many more not yet formed fo as to become perceptible, 

 we Ihall no longer deem it incredible, that this animal 

 ihould in one fealon become the mother of fo m my thou- 

 fands. The mod numerous hive is far inferior to the 

 number of foawn that have been taken from the belly af 

 a fmall fida. Daring the whole time th;it the femals 

 goes from cell to cell depofiting her eggs, Ibe is accom- 

 panied by the working bees, who tend her with the mod 

 officious care. And as the males and females are pro- 

 duced by her of a fuperlor fize to the relt, the working 

 bees, as if apprifed of the circumftance, conftruct a few 

 cells larger than the reft ; and what is Hill more remark- 

 able, the female herfelf knows which of the embryos are 

 to become of her own fex, and accordingly depofits them 

 ia cells of a lui table capacity. The cell which is to con- 

 tain the future queen bee is of a llruclure dilFerent from 

 all the reft ; and in building it, the labourers abandon 

 the hexagonal fliape which is beft adapted to the faving 

 of labour, and of wax j nothing, in this inftance, feems 

 to coft them too dear : The cradle of their future queen 

 confumes as much as a liundred or a hundred and filty of 

 the ordinary cells. 



3 From 



