110 HUMBLE CREATURES. 



"The combatants seize each other with their jaws 

 by the neck^ head, and legs, endeavour to confound 

 one another by rapid vibrations of their wings, butt 

 their heads together, grasp each other with their legs, 

 and seek every available opportunity to give eflfect to 

 their terrible stings. With this view they endeavour 

 to reach the vulnerable portions between the rings of 

 the body, at the neck, or the constricted part that 

 connects the chest and abdomen. 



" At length the fatal thrust is given ! the dagger 

 penetrates between the rings and enters the vital 

 parts ; the pierced combatant shrinks back, staggers, 

 and falls, and, after one or two convulsive throbs, she 

 closes her eyes for ever ! 



"With ineffable pride the conqueror approaches 

 the corpse, and treats it with triumphant scorn, forget- 

 ting, indeed, that it is her sister that is stretched life- 

 less before her, slain by her own accursed weapon. 

 She spurns it once or twice with her feet, to satisfy 

 herself that life is extinct, and then turns away to re- 

 ceive the homage of her subjects*." 



Thus, according to Vogt, do the Bees decide their 

 differences, not by wholesale warfare as with us, but 

 by single combat. Not wishing, however, to inter- 

 rupt his interestiag narrative by interpolating any of 

 our own remarks, we have deferred until now making 

 the inquiry about those Bee-battles that take place in 

 mid-air, where honey is concerned, and on which oc- 

 casions the ground below is literally covered with 

 the bodies of the combatants. How about those, M. 



* Translated from ' Unteraucliuiigen in den Thierstaaten.' 



