. The Swarm 
When the queen has become completely 
sterile, the bees will rear a certain number 
of royal princesses to fill her place. But 
what becomes of the old sovereign? As 
to this we have no precise knowledge; but 
it has happened, at times, that apiarists 
have found a magnificent queen, in the 
flower of her age, on the central comb of the 
hive; and in some obscure corner, right at 
the back, the gaunt, decrepit “‘old mistress,” 
as they call her in Normandy. In such 
cases it would seem that the bees have to 
exercise the greatest care to protect her 
from the hatred of the vigorous rival who 
longs for her death, for queen hates queen 
so fiercely that two who might happen to be 
under the same roof would immediately fly at 
each other. It would be pleasant to believe 
that the bees are thus providing their ancient 
sovereign with a humble shelter in a remote 
corner of the city, where she may end her 
days in peace. Here again we touch one of 
the thousand enigmas of the waxen city; 
and it is once more proved to us that the 
habits and policy of the bees are by no 
means narrow, or rigidly predetermined ; 
81 F 
