The Life of the Bee 
and, with the help of the guardians who 
hasten eagerly to her, who brush her, 
caress her, and clean her, she extricates 
herself altogether and takes her first steps 
on the comb. At the moment of birth 
she too, like the workers, is trembling 
and pale, but after ten minutes or so her 
legs become stronger, and a strange rest- 
lessness seizes her; she feels that she is 
not alone, that her kingdom has yet to 
be conquered, that close by pretenders 
are hiding; and she eagerly paces the 
waxen walls in search of her rivals. But 
there intervene here the mysterious decr 
sions and wisdom of instinct, of the spirit 
of the hive, or of the assembly of work- 
ers. The most surprising feature of all, 
as we watch these things happening be- 
fore us in a hive of glass, is the entire 
absence of hesitation, of the slightest 
division of opinion. There is not a trace 
of discussion or discord. ‘The atmosphere 
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