1066 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
expressive only of the well or ill being of the hive 
at large. The individuality, even personal idiosyn- 
crasy, which undoubtedly exists among bees, finds 
its utterance mainly through the true voice-organ. 
You cannot stand for long, here, in the quiet of 
the summer night, listening to one particular hive, 
without sooner or later becoming aware of other 
sounds, in addition to the general musical hubbub 
of the fanning army. It is evident that a nervous, 
high-strung spirit pervades the colony, especially 
during the season of the great honey-flow. Their 
common agreement on all main issues does not 
prevent these ‘‘ virgin daughters of toil’’ from 
engaging in stindry sharp altercations and mutual 
hustlings in the course of their business; and, at 
times of threatening weather, a tendency towards 
snappishness, and a whimsical perversity charac- 
teristically feminine, seem to make up the prevailing 
tone. It is during these chance forays that the true 
voice of the honey-bee, apart from the sounds made 
by wing and spiracle, can best be differentiated. 
