THE SWARM 



an ardour, a patience, a tenacity and 

 intelli£,'ence not often to be found ex- 

 isting' to such a deg'ree in nature, true 

 thoug'h it be that most of its crea- 

 tures display more contldence and courage 

 than man. 



But the presence of the queen is not 

 even essential for their discouragement to 

 vanish and their Is'/e to endure. 1: is 

 enough that she should have left, at the 

 moment of her death or departure, the 

 very slenderest hope of descendants. 

 " We have seen a colony," says Lang- 

 stroth, one of the fathers of modem api- 

 culture, " that had not bees sufficient to 

 cover a comb of three inches square, and 

 yet endea\'oured to rear a queen. For 

 two v.'hole v.-eeks did they cherish this 



[60] 



