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280 NATURAL HISTORY. 
are made larger than the rest. Those that contain eggs 
from which Queens are to come are made much larger 
than any others, and of a different shape, as seen in Fig. 
217. If left to themselves, the Bees 
select the hollow of an old tree as 
the place to build their comb, but 
they readily go into the hives pro- 
vided for them by man. The comb 
is made of wax, which is secreted 
from the body of the Bee, and appears in scales between 
the segments. This, with their mandibles, they mould, 
and apply it in the construction of the comb. The first 
swarm from a hive is led by the old Queen. Then there 
are successive swarms led by the young Queens. When 
the hive is sufficiently relieved of its surplus population, 
the Queens that remain fight till all are killed but one, 
and she takes possession of the throne. When the Bees 
lose their Queen, they, by a curious process, fill the va- 
cant throne. They select some one of the larvee which 
are to be Workers, and, enlarging its cell by the removal 
of the walls of the neighboring cells, thus make for it a 
suitably large royal apartment. They then feed it with 
the royal jelly, which is the exclusive food of the Queen- 
larvee, and, in due time, this larva, originally destined to 
be a worker, comes forth a queen. 
Questions.—What is said of the wings of the Hymenoptera? What 
peculiarity is there in the females? What is said of the instinct of 
the Hymenoptera? What is said of their metamorphosis? What 
of their larvee? What is said of the size of the Hymenoptera? Of 
their number? Of their habits? Of their usefulness to man? 
What are the two groups of this order? What is said of the Gall- 
flies? What of the Oak-galls? What of the gall of the wild rose? 
What are the peculiarities of the Ichneumon family? What is stated 
of those which have short ovipositors? What is said of the Chrysi- 
did? What of the Saw-flies? What are the families of the acu- 
leate group of the Hymenoptera? What is said of the Sand and 
Wood Wasps? What of the Mud-wasp? What of the Vespidx? 
What is the arrangement of the nest of the social Wasp? Describe 
the Ant communities. What is said of the neuters in some species ? 
