The Life of the Bee 



void, she will add other fragments of wax 

 that she takes in succession from beneath 

 her rings of horn ; and finally, with one 

 last lick of the tongue, one last wave of 

 antennae, she will go as suddenly as she 

 came, and disappear in the crowd. An- 

 other will at once take her place, continue 

 the work at the point where the first one 

 has left it, add on her own, change and 

 adjust whatever may seem to offend the 

 ideal plan of the tribe, then vanish in her 

 turn, to be succeeded by a third, a fourth, 

 and a fifth, all appearing unexpectedly, 

 suddenly, one after the other, none com- 

 pleting the work, but each bringing her 

 share to the task in which all combine. 



[52] 



A small block of wax, formless as yet, 



hangs down from the top of the vault. 



So soon as its thickness may be deemed 



sufficient, we shall see another bee emerge 



184 



