Voluntary Act of Self-destruction by the Worker Bee. 601 
tary self-expatriation and casting forth to die, when they become 
aware that their days are numbered”) obtains at all times. Iam 
also now assured that the act is quite a “ voluntary ” one, and not 
dictated by any external authority. 
I do not suppose I would ever have observed what I am about 
to relate were it not that the result of my winter investigations 
had, as it were, aroused my attention. 
Every bee-keeper knows that numbers of the bees, on a working 
day, on their return to the hive with their burdens miss the 
flight-board, due either to being weary, overladen, blown down, 
or weakness; but after a rest rise and generally succeed in 
landing. 
Now, watching one day at one of my strong hives, I observed 
a bee (there were not many out) make three several attempts to 
reach the flight-board, but fail and fall back each time. I was 
about to assist it in on a feather, as I often do, but on looking 
closer I saw that it was a very old-looking, ragged-winged bee, 
and I thought, “It would be a mercy to kill you in place of 
leaving you to weary yourself like that.” Iwas deliberating over 
this, and looking at the bee. I saw that it was laden with a 
light load of “pollen” on both thighs ; also, from the cylindrical 
appearance of its body, it evidently carried in addition some 
honey or water. It had now been somewhat longer than usual at 
rest when I saw it move its head. “It is going to try again,” I 
thought, “and I may as well let it.” Up it got, wp it went, one 
half turn and straight as a crow flies away. I was able to follow 
its course, against the sky, right across a deep ravine under my 
garden, and over the tree-tops beyond. I immediately stopped 
the door of that hive (this I could do, as they were not working), 
and caught and examined every bee that returned from outside. 
There were not more than four or five, and they were young, 
strong ones; also, I may remark, they were apparently carrying 
nothing, from which I drew the conclusion that that old bee was 
out from the previous day (which had been a busy day), and that 
it was trying to make home when I saw it, but that finding that 
its “time” was up made up its mind to depart instead on its 
“final journey.” ‘The deliberate way in which that bee acted, 
and, without a second look at its home, departed, made a great 
impression on me. 
Scien. Proc, R.D.S. Vou. u., Pr. vi. 282 
