The Life of the Bee 
ment we need only call attention to 
the essential trait in the nature of the 
bee which accounts for the extraordinary 
agglomeration of the various workers. 
The bee is above all, and even to a 
greater extent than the ant, a creature 
of the crowd. She can live only in the 
midst of a multitude. When she leaves 
the hive, which is so densely packed that 
she has to force her way with blows of 
her head through the living walls that 
enclose her, she departs from her proper 
element. She will dive for an instant 
into flower-filled space, as the swimmer 
will dive into the sea that is filled with 
pearls, but under pain of death it 
behoves her at regular intervals to re- 
turn and breathe the crowd as the swim- 
mer must -return and breathe the air. 
Isolate her, and however abundant the 
food or favourable the temperature, she 
will expire in a few days not of hunger 
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