64 
THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
thick bed of jelly, a portion of which may usually bo 
found at the base of their cells, soon after they have hatched. 
Unlike the food of the other larvae, it has a slightly 
acid taste; and when fresh, resembles starch; when old, a 
light quince jelly. The bees, if confined to their hive and 
supplied with water, can secrete it from the honey and 
bee-bread stored in their combs. 
I submitted some royal jelly to Dr. Charles M. Wethe- 
rell, of Philadelphia; an interesting account of his analy¬ 
sis may be found in the Report of the Proceedings of the 
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences for July, 1852. 
He speaks of the substance as being a “ truly bread-con¬ 
taining, albuminous compound.” A comparison of its 
elements with the food of the drone and worker-larva?, 
might throw some light on subjects now involved in ob¬ 
scurity. 
The effects produced upon the royal larval by their 
peculiar treatment are so wonderful, that they have usually 
been rejected as idle whims, by those who have neither 
been eye-witnesses to them, nor acquainted with the op¬ 
portunities enjoyed by others for accurate observation. 
They are not only contrary to all common analogies, but 
so marvellously strange and improbable, that many when 
asked to believe them, feel that an insult is offered to their 
common sense. The most important of these effects I 
shall briefly enumerate. 
1st. The peculiar mode in which the worm designed for 
a queen is treated, causes it to arrive at maturity almost 
one-third earlier than if it had been reared a worker 
And yet, as it is to be much more fully developed, 
according to ordinary analogy, it should have had a slower 
growth. 
2d. Its organs of reproduction are completely developed, 
so that it can fulfill the office of a mother. 
