APIS. 333 



liuman mother, to prepare the clothing and other neces- 

 saries for her expected infant, has forecast the queen's 

 needs in its intermittent urgency, by progressively con- 

 structing cells fitted severally in size for the growth and 

 nurture of neuters, the first developed ; of drones, the 

 next produced ; and lastly, of queens, which soon after- 

 wards appear ; she instinctively knowing the proper time 

 and the suitable use of them, having the faculty of dis- 

 tinguishing them with a view to the deposit of the par- 

 ticular kind of eggs of which she is for the moment 

 parturient. 



The drones, or male bees, appear to receive life for 

 one substantial purpose only, which is soon accomplished, 

 but during the short space of time its successive perform- 

 ance requires, it is incidentally accompanied with assist- 

 ance to the general community whilst they remain per- 

 mitted occupants of the hive, by aiding in heating and 

 ventilating it, — a labour repaid by the food, which they 

 obtain from the stores kept open for daily consumption. 

 Although uncontributive to the acquisition of the riches 

 of the hive, yet are they indispensable to the perpe- 

 tuation of the species, and their murder as supposed 

 by some apiarians, or their expulsion as thought by 

 others, in either case equally terminating in their de- 

 struction, seems an unworthy return for the important 

 service performed, although this is restricted to the 

 number of individuals required by the equal number of 

 queens that may be produced. To this number their 

 production might be limited, but for the chance of either 

 or all of these queens failing by some casualty to ob- 

 tain a prince consort. To bafile the possibility of this 

 mischance, a very superfluous number of these drones is 

 hatched, as above stated, which are on the alert, when 



