BEE. 
411 
to chamber, depositing one in each. She peoples 
ten, twelve, and sometimes more Gells at each fe- 
cundation ; continuing to deposit her eggs as fast as 
new cells are formed. Mr. Hunter observes, that 
each egg is attached at one end to the bottom of 
the cell, in either a perpendicular or oblique po- 
sition, by means of a glutinous covering, and that 
a limited time seems appointed for laying, since, in 
a new swarm which he noticed, this necessary busi- 
ness did not last above a fortnight. 
When the eggs are hatched, which is in about 
five days, the young maggot appears coiled up in 
the bottom of the cell, in some degree surrounded 
with a transparent fluid. The care of these mag- 
gots falls to the share of the labourers, the queen 
being exempt from this trouble; by which it appears 
she is an hereditary sovereign : she never exerts her- 
self, as the head of other tribes are obliged to do 
at first, who seem rather to work themselves into 
royalty, than come naturally by their honours. It 
is easy to detect the bees feeding the young mag- 
got ; and, indeed, these hardy creatures might easily 
be brought up by any person who would be at- 
tentive to feed them, as they readily open their two 
lateral pincers to receive the food, which they swal- 
low with voracity. The maggot proceeds through 
the chrysalis state much in the same manner as 
the wasp, spinning, like that insect, a silken cover- 
ing for the mouth of its cell, and breaking through 
its prison at the appointed time for its appearance in 
the world. 
1 
