54 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



goes out to have intercourse with a drone. Several bee-keepers 

 of note, such as Neighbour of England ("Cook's Manual, 

 1884), and Dzierzon of Germany, wrote that a queen may- 

 go out on her marriage-flight when only three days old. The 

 shortest time we have ever noticed between the birth of a 

 queen and her first bridal-flight was five days, and on this we 

 are in accordance with Mr. Alley of Massachusetts, one of 

 the most extensive queen breeders in the world. The average 

 time is six or seven days. Earlier bridal-trips are probably 

 due to the disturbing of the colony by the Apiarist, for we 

 have noticed that this disturbing hastens the maturity of 

 the workers. The bridal-flight takes place about noon, at 

 which time, the drones are flying most numerously. 



122. On leaving her hive, the queen flies with her head 

 turned towards it, often entering and departing several times 

 before she finally soars into the air. Such precautions on the 

 part of a young queen are highly necessary, that she may 

 not, on her return, lose her life, by attempting, through mis- 

 take, to enter a strange hive. Many queens are lost in this 

 way. 



123. As the mating of the queen and the drone takes 

 place in the air, very few persons have witnessed it. The 

 following narration will please our readers : 



"A short time ago, during one of those pleasant days of May, 

 I was roaming in the fields, not far from Courbevoie. Suddenly 

 I heard a loud humming and the wind of a rapid flight brushed 

 my cheek. Fearing the attack of a hornet, I made an instinc- 

 tive motion with my hand to drive it away. There were two 

 insects, one of which pursued the other with eagerness, coming 

 from high in the air. Frightened no doubt, by my movements, they 

 arose again, flying vertically to a groat height, still in pursuit 

 of each other. I imagined that it was a battle, and desiring 

 to know the result, I followed, at my best, their motions in the 

 air, and got ready to lay hold of them, as soon as they would 

 be within reach. 



"I did not wait long. The pursuing insect rose above the 

 other, and suddenly fell on it. The shock was certainly violent, 

 for both united, dropped with the swiftness of an arrow and 



