Page:Jardine Naturalist's library Bees.djvu/99

Rh containing eggs or worms, which suited their purpose; and by the afternoon, there were visible the rudiments of four more royal cells, all in quarters of the comb where before were nothing but eggs and common larvæ, of one or two days old. Two of these royal cells advanced more rapidly than the rest, probably from the larvæ being of an age the fittest for the purpose; four came on more slowly, and three made no progress after the third day. On the seventh day, the two first were sealed, two more were nearly so, but neither these last nor any of the rest advanced farther, as if the bees, satisfied that they had secured at least one queen, judged it unnecessary to carry forward the others to maturity. On the morning of the fourteenth day, from the removal of the old queen, a young one emerged from her cell, strong and active, and exactly resembling those produced in the natural way. While watching her motions, I saw her hasten to the other royal cell, and attempt to tear it open, doubtless with the intention of killing its inmate; but the workers pulled her violently back, and continued to do so as often as she renewed the assault. At every repulse she assumed a sulky attitude, and emitted the shrill monotonous peep, peep, peep, so well known to Bee-masters, while the unhatched queen emitted the same kind of sound, but in a hoarser tone, the consequence of her confined situation; and this, by the way, accounts for the two different sounds which are generally heard from a hive on the eve of throwing a second swarm. The shrill sound proceeds from the reigning queen, and