This action on the part of the virgin queen may be in the 

 nature of a cleansing flight, or to develop the wing muscles, 

 or possibly to familarise herself with the surroundings and 

 enable her to mark her hive previous to the mating trip. The 

 drones in the hive took no apparent interest in these pro- 

 ceedings even when the virgin queen returned. In one 

 instance we observed the workers very loath to allow the 

 virgin queen to return to the hive. Why, we could not tell, 

 but it is interesting to relate that a week later the virgin 

 queen was missing. The workers during the virgin queen's 

 absence exhibited no sign of queenlessness, and, while she was 

 in the hive, no apparent interest was manifested in her. She 

 seemed to be constantly on the move, walking from comb to 

 comb. 



To return to the case under notice. Six days from the birth 

 of the queen we found the hive in a highly excited state. 

 Two flights had already been made on the two previous days, 

 but it was now evident that the actual mating flight was about 

 to take place. The weather was fine and warm. At 12 o'clock 

 we noticed the virgin queen hurrying towards the entrance. 

 The drones in this colony were evidently aware of the virgin 

 queen's intention. Some of them were already on the wing, 

 while others were on the alighting board. Attention was at 

 once paid to the other observation hives to discover if any 

 excitement prevailed in them, or if some system of inter- 

 communication bearing on this event existed among them. 

 In the remaining five observation hives, headed with virgin 

 queens and with 'workers and drones, normal conditions 

 prevailed, with not a drone flying, although the whole were 

 in the same room separated by a few feet only. With the 

 assistance of the students and members of staff a watch was 

 kept at the entrances of the colonies in the immediately 

 adjacent section of the apiary. This section consists of fifty 

 full stocks of bees in W.B.C. hives, and the bees were at the 

 time busy with the storing of honey. These colonies are 

 situated immediately in front of the observation hives, the, 

 front row, in fact, being only three or four yards away. Not 

 a drone could be observed either flying or in front of the 

 hive entrances during the period that the Virgin queen from 



