44 TEE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



behold, in the perfect adaptation of means to ends, a 

 sagacity which seems scarcely inferior to that of man. 



" The eggs of bees* arc of a lengthened, oval shape 

 (PI. XIII., Fig. 39), with a slight curvature, and of a bluish 

 white color : being besmeared, at the time of laying, with 

 ,a glutinous substance, they adhere to the bases of the 

 cells, and remain unchanged in figure or situation for three 

 or four days ; they are then hatched, the bottom of each 

 cell presenting to view a small white worm. On its grow- 

 ing (PI. XIII., Figs. 40, 41), so as to touch the opposite 

 angle of the cell, it coils itself up, to use the language of 

 Swammerdam, like a dog when going to sleep ; and floats 

 in a whitish transparent fluid, which is deposited in the 

 cells by the nursing-bees, and by which it "is probably 

 nourished ; it becomes gradually enlarged inits dimen- 

 sions, till the two extremities touch one another, and form 

 a ring. In this state it is called a larva, or worm. So 

 nicely do the bees calculate the quantity of food which will 

 be required, that none remains in the cell when it is trans- 

 formed to a nymph. It is the opinion of many eminent 

 naturalists, that farina does not constitute the sole food 

 of the larva, but that it consists of a mixture of farina, 

 honey, and water, partly digested in the stomachs of the 

 nursing-bees. 



" The larva having derived its support, in the manner 

 above described, for four, five, or six days, according to 

 the season, continues to increase during that period, till it 

 occupies the whole breadth, and nearly the length of the 

 cell. The nursing-bees now seal over the cell with a 

 light brown cover, externally more or less convex (the 

 cap of a drone-cell being more convex than that of a 

 worker), and thus differing from that of a honey-cell, which 

 is paler and somewhat concave." The cap of the brood- 



* " Bevan on ths Honay-Beo." 



