339 



FIFTEENTH CHAPTER. 



ON THE BROOD OF THE BEES. 



THE COMMON BEES ENDOWED WITH THE INSTINCT OF KNOWING THE TIME 

 WHEN THE aUEEN WILL BEGIN TO LAY HER EGGS — ARRANGEMENT OP 

 THE EGGS IN THE OVARIUM OF THE QUEEN — ADVANTAGE OF THE AR- 

 RANGEMENT^THE QUEEN ON LAYING HER EGGS ATTENDED, ACCORDING 

 TO HUBER, BY A BODYGUARD — OFFICES PERFORMED BY THE BODY GUARD 

 — MANNER OF LAYING THE EGGS BY THE QUEEN — THE EGG HATCHED IN 

 THREE DAYS — PROGRESS OF THE WORM TO MATURITY — METHOD ADOPTED 



BY THE YOUNG BEE TO EXTRICATE ITSELF FROM THE CELL CONDUCT OF 



THE OLD BEES TOWARDS THE YOUNG ONE — THE IRASCIBILITY OF THE 

 BEES, THE CRITERION OF THE QUANTITY OF BROOD IN A HIVE — QUESTION 

 DISCUSSED AS TO THE NATURE OF THE FOOD ADMINISTERED TO THE 

 LARVJE — VARIOUS OPINIONS CONCERNING IT — NO FOOD WHATEVER IS 

 ADMINISTERED TO THE 1ARVS — OPINION OF DUCOUEDIC ON THE SUBJECT 

 — HYPOTHESIS OF HUBER — ITS PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATED — THE ADMI- 

 NISTRATION OF FOOD TO THE LARVZE ACKNOWLEDGED BY' SEVERAL 

 WRITERS — ITS PHYSICAL OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED — BEE BREAD OR THE 

 POLLEN SUPPOSED BY SOME NATURALISTS TO BE THE FOOD ADMINIS- 

 TERED TO THE IART« — OBJECTIONS TO BEE BREAD FORMING ANY' PART 

 OF THE FOOD — VARIETY OF OPINIONS AS TO THE NATURE OF THE FOOD — 

 VARIETY IN THE COLOUR OF IT ACCORDING TO HUBER, LOMBARD, 

 DUCARNE, AND OTHERS — GENERAL REMARKS. 



The working bees appear to be endowed with the singular 

 instinct of foreseeing the time when the queen bee ought 

 to commence the deposition of her eggs, and also of knowing 

 the number which she will lay. They seem to know that 

 the eggs of the working bees will be laid the first, those of 

 the drone the next, and lastly the eggs of the queen. It is 

 according to this regulation, that the eggs are grouped in 

 the ovarium of the queen, for were it otherwise, and were 

 the eggs from which the queens are to spring to be laid the 

 first, the queens would be born before there were a suffi- 

 cient number of bees born to compose a swarm, and thus 

 confusion and disorder would prevail in the hive, on account 

 of the residence in it of a number of young queens, who 

 might presume to take upon themselves all the offices and 

 functions of the legitimate monarch, which, being contrary 

 to the apiarian constitution, might lead to an open rebellion, 



