“A voice is heard resembling the broken sounds of trum-
pets. Then in a hurry they assemble, quiver with their
wings, sharpen their stings upon their beaks, prepare their
sinews, crowd thick around their king and to his pavilion,
and with loud hummings challenge the foe.”

“The kings themselves, amidst the hosts, distinguished by
their wings, exert mighty souls in little bodies, obstinately
determined not to yield till the dread victor has compelled
either these or those to turn their backs in flight.”


The Family 127


The young queen, having established her right by battle,
flies abroad and high in the air, mates, receiving from the
drone a supply of fertilizing material which is stored in a
small pouch designed for the purpose and the contents of
which she is apparently able to use at will, fertilizing some
eggs and leaving others unfertilized.
