The Swarm 
And then there is silence once more; 
and, in an instant, this mighty tumult, 
this awful curtain apparently laden with 
unspeakable menace and anger, this be- 
wildering golden hail that streamed upon 
every object near —all these become merely 
a great, inoffensive, peaceful cluster of bees, 
composed of thousands of little motionless 
groups, that patiently wait, as they hang 
from the branch of a tree, for the scouts 
to return who have gone in search of a 
place of shelter. 
[ 38 ] 
This is the first stage of what is known 
as the “primary swarm”’ at whose head 
the old queen is always to be found. 
They will settle as a rule on the shrub 
or the tree that ‘s nearest the hive; for 
the queen, besides being weighed down 
by her eggs, has dwelt in constant dark- 
ness ever since her marriage-flight, or the 
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