THE SWARM 

 later, that her subjects are so fearful of 

 losing her that they will all accompany 

 her on this tragic and distant quest of 

 love. This they will never do, however, 

 if they be provided with a fragment of 

 comb containing brood-cells, whence they 

 shall be able to rear other queens. 

 Indeed, their affection txen may turn 

 into fury and hatred should their sov- 

 ereign fail in her duty to that sort 

 of abstract divinity that we should 

 call future society, which the bees would 

 appear to regard far more seriously 

 than we. It happens, for instance, at 

 times, that apiarists for various reasons 

 will prevent the queen from joining a 

 swarm by inserting a trellis into the 

 hive ; the nimble and slender workers 

 [89] 



