LETTERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. 63 
number of queens are introduced into a hive, all 
but one will perish, and she will have won the 
throne by her unassisted valour, for the workers 
never interfere. 
If the queen dies, they have a regular time of 
mourning for her, which is twenty-four hours, 
and before that time has elapsed, they will not 
suffer any other to enter their domain; but after 
that time, they will receive any queen. If the 
old queen remained in the hive when the young 
ones came forth, she would infallibly destroy 
them; but this is wisely prevented by a circum- 
stance which always takes place — the old queen 
leads the first swarm; and if there are more 
to go, the workers keep the young queens, de- 
stined to lead them, in their cells, till the proper 
moment : they however feed them with honey ; 
but as fast as they make an opening, they stop 
it with wax. They likewise take particular 
care to hinder the old queen from coming near 
these unfortunate princesses, if we may so call 
them. Sometimes when angry, she stands in a 
particular attitude, and makes a peculiar noise 
or humming, which affects the bees so much 
that they hang their heads and remain motion- 
less. At last she becomes violently agitated, 
and communicating her agitation to others, the 
