192 THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



creatures ; they try to escape, or oppose their mere bulk 

 to the blows that rain down upon them. Forced on to 

 their back, with their relentless enemies clinging doggedly 

 to them, they will use their powerful claws to shift them 

 from side to side ; or, turning on themselves, they will drag 

 the whole group round and round in wild circles, which ex- 

 haustion soon brings to an end. And, in a very brief space, 

 their appearance becomes so deplorable, that pity, never far 

 from justice in the depths of our heart, quickly returns, and 

 would seek forgiveness, though vainly, of the stern workers 

 who recognise only Nature's harsh and profound laws. The 

 wings of the wretched creatures are torn, their antenns 

 bitten, the segments of their legs wrenched off; and their 

 magnificent eyes, mirrors once of the exuberant flowers, 

 flashing back the blue light and the innocent pride of 

 summer, now, softened by suffering, reflect only the anguish 

 and distress of their end. Some succumb to their wounds, 

 and are at once borne away to distant cemeteries by two 

 or three of their executioners. Others, whose injuries are 

 less, succeed in sheltering themselves in some corner, where 

 they lie, all huddled together, surrounded by an inexorable 

 guard, until they perish of want. Many will reach the 

 door and escape into space, dragging their adversaries with 

 them ; but, towards evening, impelled by hunger and cold, 

 they return in crowds to the entrance of the hive to beg 

 for shelter. But there they encounter another pitiless guard. 

 The next morning, before setting forth on their journey, the 

 workers will clear the threshold, strewn with the corpses 

 of the useless giants ; and all recollections of the idle race 

 disappear till the following spring. 



