62 WAYS OF THE SIX-FOOTED 



first as do the ants. The queen and king are adopted 

 into some colony, where they are carefully cared for, 

 a royal cell being fashioned for their use. The queen 

 becomes greatly developed in size, until her abdomen is 

 a great egg sac, sometimes six or seven inches long. Of 

 course she cannot move, but lives in imprisoned help- 

 lessness, finding her only relief in the devotion of her 

 consort and subjects. 



It is a sorry part in the larger affairs of the insect 

 world that is played by the males, whether we call 

 them kings or drones. Much scorn has been heaped 

 upon drones because they are the idlers in the bee com- 

 mune, but surely their lot is the least enviable of all 

 the castes in the hive. The drone's sole raison d'etre is 

 to be consort of the queen ; but as there are hundreds of 

 drones to one queen, naturally there are very few that 

 fill the office intended for them by nature. Even if one 

 is successful, he loses his life for love ; while the many 

 unsuccessful kings without kingdoms are mercilessly 

 sentenced to death by their worker sisters as soon as 

 the honey supply runs low. Cheshire describes the 

 killing of drones thus : — 



" No sooner does income fall below expenditure than 

 their nursing sisters turn their executioners, usually by 

 dragging them from the hive, biting at the insertion of 

 the wing. The drones, strong for their special work, 



