seems to express her rage and disappointment at being baffled by the watchful guardians of the unhatched queen, from whom the hoarse sound comes. In the afternoon of the same day, the last mentioned female left her cell. We saw her come forth in majesty, finely and delicately formed, but smaller than the other. She immediately retired within a cluster of workers, and we lost sight of her. Next morning on opening the shutter of the hive, we perceived the younger queen rushing apparently in great terror across the surface of the comb, and hurrying round the edge of it to the other side; and in the next moment, the other royal personage came in sight, hotly pursuing her rival. We now fully expected to witness Huber's combat of queens, and were about to wheel round the hive on its pivot, to contemplate the fray, when business called us away. In half an hour we returned, hoping we might be in time, but all was over! the younger queen was lying upon the alighting-board on her back, in the pangs of death, newly dragged out by the bees, and doubtless the victim of her jealous senior.
We observed two circumstances respecting these artificial queens, which may be noticed here, though rather, perhaps, out of place—one of them agreeing perfectly with the experience of Huber, while the other is at variance with it. While the surviving queen remained a virgin, not the slightest mark of attention or respect was shewn to her by the bees; no one gave her food, she was obliged as often as she required it, to help herself, and in crossing
