ITALIAN QUEEN BEE 29 



ten old frames of comb, or else ten starters, 

 or ten full sheets of beeswax comb founda- 

 tion as bases for new combs. And where 

 was my mother, the leading exponent of this 

 spirit of the hive? Was she in the center of 

 that great pear-shaped bunch of bees, larger 

 than a big ham, hanging from that branch? 

 How quiet they are. How they have 

 trusted Providence for their future! The 

 Creator gives to all their meat in due season. 



