Curiosities & wonders > New observations on the natural history of bees

COMBATS OF QUEENS.
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pose her preparations to avoid impending
danger?
A long series of observations is necessary
to solve these problems. It is an immense
field for experiment, which will afford infi¬
nitely curious results. I intreat you to par¬
don my frequent digressions. The subject
is deeply philosophical: genius such as your’s
is requisite to treat it properly ; and I shall
now be satisfied with proceeding in the de¬
scription of the combat.
The cluster of bees that surrounded the
reigning queen having allowed her some free¬
dom, she seemed to advance towards that
part of the comb where her rival stood; then,
all receded before her, the multitude of
workers separating the two adversaries, gra¬
dually dispersed, until only two remained;
these also removed, and allowed the queens
to come in sight. At this moment the
reigning queen rushed on the stranger, with
her teeth seized her near the origin of the
wing, and succeeded in fixing her against
the comb without any possibility of motion
or resistance. Next curving her body, she
pierced this unhappy victim of our curiosity
with a mortal wound.
In the last place, to exhaust every com¬
bination, we had still to examine whether