The Nuptial Flight 
have to maintain itself by toil. Whoever 
would seek faithfully to depict the character 
of Nature, in accordance with the traits 
we discover here, would design an extra- 
ordinary figure, very foreign to our ideal, 
which nevertheless can only emanate from 
her. But too many things are unknown 
to man for him to essay such a portrait, 
wherein all would be deep shadow save 
one or two points of flickering light. 
86 
Very few, I imagine, have profaned the ~ 
‘secret of the queen-bee’s wedding, which 
comes to pass in the infinite, radiant circles 
of a beautiful sky. But we are able to 
witness the hesitating departure of the 
bride-elect, and the murderous return of 
the bride. 
However great her impatience, she will 
yet choose her day and her hour, and linger 
in the shadow of the portal till a marvel- 
lous morning fling open wide the nuptial 
spaces in the depths of the great azure 
vault. She loves the moment when drops of 
247 
