22 



Marvels of the Universe 



far from being a ruler, a dominating personality in the hive, she is really the least intelligent and the 

 most subordinate member of the whn'e community. It is the worker-bees which retain among 

 themselves all power of inception and direction of the public polity. It is the worker-bees who, when 

 the old hive became too populous, decided that a greater part of its inhabitants should leave and 

 set up housekeeping for themselves ; they select those who should join the emigrating party and 

 those who should remain ; they give the signal for the departure of the swarm and command the 

 old queen to accompany it, leaving her ancient realm to the charge of a younger and more vigorous 

 successor. 



The truth is that in hive-life, though wise laws are made, ingenious devices originated and 

 complex works carried through triumphantly in the face of unforeseen difficulties, there is no 

 central guiding intelligence at all. In some mysterious way. the whole worker-bee population of 

 the hive seems to unite in the solution of the common difficulties. 



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THE FANNING ARMY. 



A bee-hive is ventilated by gangs of worker-bees, who station themselves at the entrance in open order, with their heads 

 towards the hive, vibrating their wings and thereby causing a circulation of air through the hive. These fanning bees are 

 regularly relieved by others, the fanning being incessant during hot weather. 



As we watch the swarm at work day after day, week after week, transforming the empty 

 straw skep into a convenient and well-appointed bee-dwelling, the feeling of wonder at this 

 fact only deepens. When filled, the straw hive is seen to contain nine or ten combs side 

 by side, suspended from the roof. Between the surfaces of the combs is left a space which 

 will just allow the bees covering each comb to pass back to back. The comb-ends are 

 attached to the sides of the skep half-way down : but for the rest of the way, and at the bottom, 

 they hang perfectly free. It wiU also be seen that the whole interior of the hive has been plastered 

 with a thin, almost transparent substance, like resin, hermetically sealing every crevice in the 

 hive-walls. 



At this point, probably, the observer will be struck with what, according to human notions, 

 is a manifest fault in the bees' system of house construction. Having to accommodate twenty or 

 thirty thousand insects in a single building, they appear to have left out of account all provision 

 for ventilation. How can one small aperture, which is all that is reserved, suffice not only for the 



