THE HONEY-BEE. 
87 
small importance in bee-economy ; for, were the 
Queen’s cocoon completely to envelope her body, her 
destruction by her rivals would be rendered extreme]}' 
difficult ; the texture of the covering is so close, that 
the sting would be unable to penetrate it, or, if the 
attempt were made, it might be entangled by its barbs 
in the meshes of the cocoon, and the struggling female, 
unable to disengage it, would become the victim of 
her own fury. In spinning the cocoon, the Queen 
spends only 2-f hours ; she remains in a death-like 
torpidity between two and three days, is then meta- 
morphosed into a nymph, and, after remaining in that 
state four days and a half, she comes forth a perfect 
Queen on the sixteenth day. In the case of the wor- 
kers and males, the transformation is no sooner com- 
pleted than they are at liberty to abandon the confine- 
ment of the cradle, and hasten, — the former, at least, 
— to partake of the labours of the community, and 
to range the fields and flower-gardons in the very 
plenitude of bee-enjoyment. But the case is different 
with the young Queens ; like other sovereigns, they 
pay the tax of their high estate in having their inclin- 
ations put under restraint for the public good. The 
royal insect is not permitted to leave the cell, and, 
as generally happens, to lead off a swarm, unless the 
weather be very favourable. Were she to obtain her 
liberty, while, at the same time, emigration was 
prevented by the state of the external atmosphere, 
or other circumstances, there would be a plurality of 
Queens in the hive, and mortal strife would ensue. 
The young Queen, therefore, is detained a captive. 
