The Life of the Bee 
void, she will add other fragments of wax 
that she takes in succession from beneath 
her rings of horn; and finally, with one 
last lick of the tongue, one last wave of 
antenne, she will go as suddenly as she 
came, and disappear in the crowd. An- 
other will at once take her place, continue 
the work at the point where the first one 
has left it, add on her own, change and 
adjust whatever may seem to offend the 
ideal plan of the tribe, then vanish in her 
turn, to be succeeded by a third, a fourth, 
and a fifth, all appearing unexpectedly, 
suddenly, one after the other, none com- 
pleting the work, but each bringing her 
share to the task in which all combine. 
[ 52 ] 
A small block of wax, formless. as yet, 
hangs down from the top of the vault. 
So soon as its thickness may be deemed 
sufficient, we shall see another bee emerge 
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