loo THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



54 

 A small block of wax, formless as yet, hangs down from 

 the top of the vault. So soon as its thickness may be deemed 

 sufficient, we shall see another bee emerge from the mass, her 

 physical appearance differing appreciably from that of the 

 foundresses who preceded her. And her manner displays such 

 settled conviction, her movements are followed so eagerly by 

 all the crowd, that we almost might fancy that some illustrious 

 engineer had been summoned to trace in the void the site 

 of the first cell of all, from which every other must mathe- 

 matically depend. This bee belongs to the sculptor or carver 

 class of workers ; she produces no wax herself, and is content 

 to deal with the materials others provide. She locates the 

 first cell, scoops into the block for an instant, lays the wax 

 she has removed from the cavity on the borders around it ; 

 and then, like the foundresses, abruptly departs and abandons 

 her model. Her place is taken at once by an impatient worker, 

 who continues the task that a third will finish, while others 

 close by are attacking the rest of the surface and the opposite 

 side of the wall ; each one obeying the general law of inter- 

 rupted and successive labour, as though it were an inherent 

 principle of the hive that the pride of toil should be dis- 

 tributed and every achievement be anonymous and common 

 to all, that it might thereby become more fraternal. 



