3 ±8 
BRITISH BEES. 
of gelatinous frothy appearance, and upon this the young 
thrives so rapidly, greedily opening its jaws to receive 
it, that in four more days it is full grown, and fills the 
whole cell. The nursing-bees then cover this in with a 
light brown top, convex externally, and within it the 
larva spins for itself a cocoon to undergo its subsequent 
transformations. This cocoon is spun of a fine silk, which 
issues from the organ of the larva called the spinner, in 
two delicate threads, which, as they pass out, cohere to¬ 
gether. It works at this labour for thirty-six hours, and 
then changes into the pupa or grub; thus it lies quiescent 
for three days, when it gradually undergoes its transfor¬ 
mation into the imago, and it issues as a perfect insect 
about the twenty-first day after being deposited as an 
egg. The'cocoon it has formed exactly fills the cell it 
has left, which still continues to serve as a brood cell 
until the succession of cocoons with which it is thus 
lined renders it too small for the purpose, it is then 
cleaned out by the scavengers of the hive and changed 
into a honey depository, but the honey stored in such 
a cell is never so pure as that which comes from the 
exclusively waxen cell. Thus is effected the transfor¬ 
mation of the working bee, which, upon the very day of 
its emancipation from its nursery, commences its duties 
as an active member of the community, in the successive 
and several labours undertaken for the benefit of the 
commonwealth, and these it assiduously follows for the 
period of its natural life, which extends to about six or 
eight months. 
The hive is now in the liveliest activity. The swarm 
which entered with the queen, and the large addition 
to the population which has already been produced 
from her incessant laying, are all at their several avo- 
