"You are lazy," said the boy who watched the bees. "Why don't you work
like the others?"
Billybuzz the Drone helped himself to a little more honey from the best
pantry; then he turned his big brown head slowly towards the boy who
watched the bees.
"You people will never take the trouble to understand us," he said.
"You call us lazy, but we cannot work. We are not made like the
workers."
"How is that?" asked the boy. "Surely you can fly about and gather
honey? That is easy enough."
"Not if one's tongue is too short," replied the Drone. "The Worker
Bees have long, hairy tongues to lick the honey out of the deep
flower-cups, but my tongue is too short, and would not reach far enough
down."
"But you could gather pollen to make bee-bread for the baby bees," said
the boy.
"I have no pollen-basket," said the Drone.
"Can you not make wax?"
"No. I have no wax pockets in my coat."
"Then you could be a soldier-bee, and help to guard the Queen and hive."
"I should be useless. I have no sting."
"Oh, well, at any rate you could be a nurse and give the babies their
meals, like those nurses over there."
"Why should I? Why should I work at all when I am the King?"