160 PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 
mences, lasting thirty days; in which time about 2,000 
of these eggs are laid. Another laying of them, but less 
considerable, takes place in autumn. In the season of 
oviposition, the queen may be discerned traversing the 
combs in all directions with a slow step, and seeking for 
cells proper to receive her eggs. As she walks, she keeps 
her head inclined, and seems to examine, one by one, all 
the cells she meets with. When she finds one to her 
purpose, she immediately gives to her abdomen the curve 
necessary to enable it to reach the orifice of the eell, and 
to introduce it within it. The eggs are set in the angle 
of the pyramidal bottom of the cell, or in one of the hol- 
lows formed by the conflux of the sides of the rhombs, 
and, being besmeared with a kind of gluten, stand up- 
right. If, however, it be a female that lays only male 
egos, they are deposited upon the lowest of the sides of 
the cell, as she is unable to reach the bottom?. 
While our prolific lady is engaged in this employment, 
her court consists of from four to twelve attendants, which 
are disposed nearly in a circle, with their heads turned 
towards her. After laying from two to six eggs, she re- 
mains still, reposing for eight or nine minutes. During 
this interval the bees in her train redouble their attentions, 
licking her fondly with their tongues. Generally speak- 
ing, she lays only one egg in a cell; but when she is press- 
ed, and there are not cells enough, from two to four have 
been found in one. In this case, as if they were aware of 
the consequences, the provident workers remove all but 
one. From an experiment of Huber’s, it appears that 
the instinct of the queen invariably directs her to deposit 
worker eggs in worker cells; for when he confined one, 
@ Bonnet, x. 258, 8yo ed, 
