184 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
to be observed in her at any other season. It is 
clear that the workers would lie quiet enough, if 
they had only themselves to consider. They collect 
in a dense mass between the central combs of the 
hive, the outer members of the company just keep- 
ing in touch with the nearest honey-cells. These 
cells are broached by the furthermost bees, and the 
food is distributed from tongue to tongue. As the 
nearest store-cells are emptied, the whole con- 
course moves on, the compacted crowd of bees thus 
journeying over the comb at a pace which is steady 
yet inconceivably slow. 
But this policy seems in no way to commend itself 
to the queen. Whenever you look into the hive, 
even on the coldest winter’s day, she is generally 
alert and stirring, keeping the worker-bees about 
her in a constant state of wakefulness and care. 
Though she has long since ceased to lay, she is 
always prying about the comb, looking apparently 
for empty cells wherein to lay eggs, after her 
summer habit. Night or day, she seems always in 
this unresting state of mind, and the work of 
getting their queen through the winter season is 
evidently a continual source of worry to the mem- 
bers of the colony. Altogether, the most logical 
inference to be drawn from any prolonged and 
careful investigation of hive-life in winter is that 
the queen-bee herself is the main obstacle to any 
system of hibernation being adopted in the hive. 
This lying-by for the cold weather, however 
desirable and practicable it may be for the great 
army of workers, is obviously dead against the 
natural instincts of the queen. And since, being 
awake, she must be incessantly watched and fed and 
