THE HONEY-BEE. 
91 
existed originally in the common lee as well as in the 
mother-lee, hut the confined limits of its cell, and 
the want of the peculiar food provided for the royal 
race prevented its development." 
The proceedings of the bees in order to supply 
the loss of their Queen, are extremely interesting. In 
about twenty-four hours they are aware of the misfor- 
tune that has befallen them, and, without loss of time, 
they set about repairing the disaster. They fix upon 
a worm not more than three days old, demolish the 
three contiguous cells, and raise around it a regular 
cylindrical inclosure. At the end of three days, the 
workers change the direction of the cell, which has 
hitherto been horizontal, into a perpendicular position, 
working downwards till it assume the appearance of 
a stalactite. In due time it is sealed, and the larva 
undergoes its metamorphosis into a royal nymph. Hu- 
ber gives a detail of some interesting experiments on 
this head, the substance only of which we can pre- 
sent to our readers. He deprived a hive of its 
Queen, and put into it some pieces of comb con- 
taining worker eggs. The same day several cells were 
enlarged by the bees, and converted into royal cells, 
and the larvae supplied with a profusion of jelly. He 
then removed these worms from the royal cells, and 
substituted for them as many common worms from 
workers’ cells. The bees did not seem aware of the 
change, they watched over the new worms as intently 
as over those chosen by themselves ; they continued 
enlarging the cells, and closed them at the usual time. 
At tlie proper time, two Queens were hatched, almost 
