96 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
is carrying through a scheme for the good of her 
subjects that would do credit to the wisest ruler 
ever born in human purple. Every day of summer 
sunshine has brought thousands of young bees to 
life. The hive is getting overcrowded. Sooner or 
later one of two things must happen—either the 
increase of population must be checked, or a great 
party must be formed to leave the old home and go 
out to establish another one. Then it is that the 
mother-bee seems to prove beyond a doubt her 
wisdom and queenliness. She decides for the 
emigration; but as a leader must be found for the 
party, and none is at hand, she forms the resolve 
to head it herself. From that moment a change 
comes over the whole hive. Preparation for the 
coming event goes on fast and furiously, and excite- 
ment increases day by day. But the queen seems to 
forget nothing. A new ruler for the old realm 
must be provided to take her place when she is gone 
for ever; and now you see a party of bees set to 
work on something that fairly beggars curiosity. 
At first it looks exactly like an acorn-cup in wax 
hanging from the under-edge of the comb. Per- 
haps the next time you look the cup has grown to 
twice its original size; and now you see it is half 
full of a glistening white jelly. The next time, 
maybe, you open the hive, the acorn has been added 
to the cup; the queen-cell is sealed over and finished, 
and about a week later there comes out a full-grown 
queen bee, twice the size of the ordinary worker 
and quite different in shape and often in colour too. 
But days before the new ruler is ready the excite- 
ment in the hive has grown to fever-pitch. If 
you come out then in the quiet of the night 
