340 THE INSECT WORLD. 
shut up, but the moment she approaches them the workers pinch 
her, pull her about, drive her away, and oblige her to move 
on, and, as the royal cells are numerous, she finds with difficulty 
any corner in her hive where she may be at rest. Incessantly 
tormented by the desire of attacking the other females, and 
incessantly driven back by the guard, she becomes very much 
excited, passes through the different groups of workers at a run, 
and communicates to them her agitation. She leads the inmates 
of the hive the same sort of dance frequently in the course of 
the day. 
Sometimes the young queen at the end of her attempts utters a 
shrill song, analogous to that of the grasshopper. This song, 
so unusual among these insects, has the effect of petrifying the 
bees. So says Francis Huber, speaking of a queen which had 
just been hatched, and which was trying in vain to satisfy her 
jealous instincts. “She sang,” says he, “ twice. When we saw her 
producing this sound, she was motionless, her thorax rested against 
the honeycomb, her wings being crossed on her back, and she 
moved then about without uncrossing them, and without opening 
them. Whatever cause it was that made her choose this attitude, 
the bees seemed affected by it, all of them now lowered their heads 
and remained motionless. Next day, the hive presented the same 
appearances, there remained still twenty-three royal cells which 
were all assiduously guarded by a great number of bees. The 
moment the queen approached these, all the guards were in a state 
of agitation, surrounded her, bit her, hustled her in every way, 
and generally finished by driving her off; sometimes when this 
happened she sang, resuming the attitude which I just now 
described ; from that moment the bees became motionless.”* But 
the fever which had seized on the young queen ended by com- 
municating itself to her subjects, and, at a particular moment, a 
new swarm set out under her guidance. 
When the emigration is effected, the workers which had remained 
at home set free another female. This one acts in the same way 
as the first. She tries to get at her rivals still imprisoned, and 
whom she can smell in their cradles ; but the guard repel her with 
wigour, and defeat all her attempts, till she makes up her mind 
* “Observations sur les Abeilles,” tomei., p. 260. 
