84 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



scopically indistinguishable from the so-called royal 

 jelly ; while the most practised bee-men say they never 

 saw the queen pass any dejections at all. These con- 

 tradictions are utterly inexplicable, except upon the 

 theory I propound and advocate. She does pass de- 

 jections, for I have witnessed the fact ; but these are 

 extremely watery, and are voided with great energy, 

 while she rests, back downwards, on the bottom of the 

 comb. At least, this has been her position when I have 

 noted the occurrence. Moreover, although her stomach 

 is small, her urinary tubes are exceedingly active and 

 large, adding further confirmation to my position, as 

 these enable her to rid herself of the great excess of 

 water a secretion diet would supply. We thus see 

 that her digestive function is performed by proxy, the 

 residuary matter of the pollen required to produce 

 her eggs being, under this exceedingly beautiful ar- 

 rangement, carried from the hive in the bodies of 

 the feeding bees, to be expelled in mid-air — so 

 wondrous are the devices by which the require- 

 ments of these creatures are met. 



When first hatched, the queen is not noticed she 



is but one of the multitude, requiring nothing special 

 and has, of course, no feeding attendants, but takes 

 her nourishment from the cells, like the rest, and 

 empties her bowels when on the wing, like a worker. 

 Her weight does not at this time increase, or she would 

 become incapable of all the soaring of the marital 

 trip. Now her stomach always contains pollen ; but 

 from the hour of her impregnation, she is the subject 

 of watchful attention, the younger bees gathering 

 about her, not to form her body-guard, as writers 



