=» 
Se % 
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342 THE INSECT WORLD. 
with every appearance of the greatest rage, and put themselves 
in such a position that each one had its antenns seized between 
the teeth of its rival; the head, the thorax, and abdomen of the 
one were opposite to the head, the thorax, and abdomen of 
the other; they had only to bend round the posterior extremity 
of their bodies and they would reciprocally have stabbed each 
other with their darts, and both engaged in the combat would 
have been killed. But it seems as if nature would not allow this 
duel to end by the death of the combatants. One would say that 
she had ordained that those queens, finding themselves: in this 
position (that is to say. face to face and abdomen to abdomen), 
should retreat that very instant with the greatest precipitation. 
And so, as soon as the two rivals felt that their posterior parts were 
about to meet, they left go of each other, and each one ran away 
in an opposite direction..... A few minutes after they had 
separated from each other their fear ceased, and they recommencec. 
looking for each other. Very soon they perceived the object of | 
their search, and we saw them running one against the other. 
They seized each other as at the first, and put themselves exactly 
in the same position. The result was the same; as soon as their 
abdomens approached each other they only thought of getting | 
free, and ran away. The working bees were very much agitated 
during the whole of this time, and their tumult seemed to 
increase when the two adversaries separated from each other. 
We saw them on two different occasions stop the queens in their 
flight, seize them by the legs, and keep them prisoners for more 
than a minute. At last, in a third attack, the queen which was 
the most infuriated or the strongest rushed upon her rival at a | 
moment when she did not see her coming; seized her with her 
teeth by the base of her wing, then mounted on to her body, and 
brought the extremity of her abdomen over the last rings of her 
enemy, whom she was then able to pierce with her sting very easily. | 
She then let go the wing which she held between her teeth, and 
drew back her dart. The vanquished queen dragged herself heavily 
along, lost her strength, and expired soon afterwards.” * 
These singular combats take place between young maiden queens. 
Francis Huber, by introducing into a hive some queens from other 
* «Observations sur les Abeilles,” tome 1., pp. 174-178. 





