ITALIAN QUEEN BEE 25 



for they were just learning to go about 

 some, and test their powers of gathering and 

 enduring the journey home with what they 

 had found of nectar, pollen, or water. I 

 was yet to realize what would become of all 

 our people who had started early in the 

 morning for the harvest field in case any- 

 thing happened before they returned with 

 their loads. All of a sudden, on my six- 

 teenth day, two days after my strangely lov- 

 ing mother had both petted and warned me 

 about breaking any of Nature's laws for 

 Honey Bees which the Creator of all had 

 inexorably established, I was surprised to 

 hear my mother's voice again. But oh! how 

 changed! The same words as before, that 

 is, speaking my name, but a good deal more 

 added. For, after first hearing my name 

 in a very loving but rather regretful tone, 

 she changed the pitch of her voice. It now 

 sounded as if she were wrought up to the 

 highest degree of enthusiasm and conscious 

 sovereignty. What she said was like a 

 military or triumphant address to soldiers 



