MAY 87 



others that these humble beings have not 

 always been so lowly. There was primi- 

 tive woman amongst the bees too, and then 

 each was the equal of each. But with the 

 refinement of modern bee civilization class 

 distinctions have arisen, and queens and 

 drudges now live side by side. Even here 

 the lines are not so closely drawn as in the 

 more sophisticated hive, where the haughty 

 queen of the honey-bees disdains all work 

 and brooks no rivals. But now the eggs 

 are laid, and soon the field will be full of 

 workers, and hosts of bees will haunt the 

 clover. 



a queen's old age 



Later in the season her royal children 

 are born. Then white heads are abundant, 

 for the white heads are males, and of course, 

 having no egg apparatus, they have no 

 sting, as every country boy well knows. 

 These new bees are just in time to take the 

 place of the old queen mother. She has 

 reached her ripe bee age of twelve months. 

 If by reason of strength her months be 



