THE SWARM 

 famine, disease, or war. No. the exile 

 has long been planned, and the tavour- 

 .ible hour panently awaited. Were the 

 hive poor, had it sunered from pil- 

 l.ig'e or storm, had misfortune befallen 

 the royal family, the bees \\'ould not 

 forsake it. They leave it onl>- when 

 it has attained the apog-ee of its 

 prosperit}- : at a time when, after the 

 arduous labours of the spririg-, the 

 immense palace of w.ix has its 120.000 

 well-arranjred cells o^'ert^o^^•ing■ with 

 new hone_\'. and with the many- 

 coloured fiour, known as " bees' bread," 

 on which n\"mphs and \3.r\':e are 

 fed, 



Ne\'er is the hi\'e more beautiful 

 than on the eve of its heroic renounce- 

 [13] 



