Mr Cron on the Singular Treatment of a Queen Bee . 69 
now made to disentangle the royal captive, but for a long time 
without effect, till at length being taken into the hand, the bees 
reluctantly took their departure, leaving the queen bee in a very 
pitiful plight, sorely harassed and fatigued, and bearing many 
marks, if not of actual violence, at least of harsh usage. But 
it is here worthy of remark, that the main end which the 
bees appeared to have all along in view, was to obtain possession 
of a firm hold, which they generally took with certainly not a 
little violence, especially considering that the queen bee was the 
object on which they were seizing. Their great aim, however, 
was evidently only to detain, as their manner and gestures were 
by no means indicative of any intention to kill, since even those 
that were nearest to the royal person, and held the firmest grasp, 
were not observed to make any use at all of their stings. But 
their protracted efforts to detain her, whether the result of hos- 
tility or affection, proved fatal to the object of their unusual 
anxiety, which, on getting disentangled, was seen to walk but 
very imperfectly, was motionless in the space of half an hour, 
and died in the course of that evening. One of her fore-legs 
was maimed to a degree that made it useless ; her head was con- 
siderably bent down ; her wings were much distorted and shat- 
tered ; and several of the rings of her belly torn on the edge. 
Her body shewed no clear symptom, however, of her having 
been stung. And I am persuaded that her death was in conse- 
quence of extreme fatigue, occasioned by a struggle of upwards 
of an hour, against very superior numbers. 
It deserves notice, that when taken back almost motionless, 
and put down again at the mouth of the hive, the bees were no 
longer seen clustering around her ; but one or two made an at- 
tempt to carry her off, after the manner they do those whose 
bodies are found lying dead in the hive. 
Now, in looking back on this interesting spectacle, the several 
circumstances of which it has been judged proper to describe at 
considerable length, there can hardly, I think, remain any 
doubt, that the bees acted from violent terror, their sole intention 
being to protect the queen bee, or prevent her from making her 
escape, and deserting them in a season in their eyes so perilous. 
The only objection to this opinion, is the supposition that the 
queen bee belonging to the other hive had introduced herself 
