THE SWARM 



each other in their anxiety to draw near; 

 as she passes among them they \\\\\ 

 caress her with the long antenna that 

 contain so man\' organs as \et unex- 

 plained ; they will present her with 

 honey, and escort her tumultuously back 

 to the royal chamber. And order at 

 once is restored, work resumed, from 

 the central comb of the brood-cells to 

 the furthest annex where the surplus 

 honey is stored ; the foragers go forth, 

 in long black tiles, to return, in less 

 than three minutes sometimes, laden 

 with nectar and pollen ; streets are 

 swept, parasites and marauders killed 

 or expelled ; and the hive soon re- 

 sounds with the gentle, monotonous 

 cadence of the strange h>Tnn of rejoicing, 



[57] 



