scaped. Thus, there was no doubt
of both queens being in the swarm. We found it so; and removed them,
that the bees might return to the hive, which they did very soon.

While we were occupied in this operation, the fourth captive queen left
her prison, and the bees found her on returning. At first they were very
much agitated, but calmed towards the evening, and resumed their wonted
labours. They formed a strict guard around the royal cells, and took
great care to remove the queen whenever she attempted to approach.
Eighteen royal cells now remained to be guarded.

The fifth queen left her cell at ten at night; therefore two queens were
now in the hive. They immediately began fighting, but came to disengage
themselves from each other. However they fought several times during the
night without any thing decisive. Next day, the thirteenth, we witnessed
the death of one, which fell by the wounds of her enemy. This duel was
quite similar to what is said of the combats of queens.

The victorious queen now presented a very singular spectacle. She
approached a royal cell, and took this moment to utter the sound, and
assume that posture, which strikes the bees motionless. For some
minutes, we conceived, that taking advantage of the dread exhibited by
the workers on guard, she would open it, and destroy the young female;
also she prepared to mount the cell; but in doing so she ceased the
sound, and quitted that attitude which paralyses the bees. The guardians
of the cell instantly took courage; and, by means of tormenting and
biting the queen, drove her away.

On the fourteenth, the sixth young queen appeared, and the hive threw a
swarm, with all the concomitant disorder before described. The agitation
was so considerable, that a sufficient number of bees did not remain to
guard the royal cells, and several of the imprisoned queens were thus
enabled to make their escape. Three were in the cluster formed by the
swarm, and other three remained in the hive. We removed those that had
led the colony, to force the bees to return. They entered the hive,
resumed their post around the royal cells, and maltreated the queens
when approaching.

A duel took place in the night of the fifteenth, in which one queen
fell. We found her dead next morning before the hive; but three still
remained, as one had been hatched during night. Next morning we saw a
duel. Both combatants were extremely agitated, either with the desire of
fighting, or th