young or old, gay or grave, you may, if you will, be the better for it. Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, Seek'st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast- Lene wandering, but not lost. All day thy wings have fanned, And soon that toil shall end, Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest Thou'rt gonc--the abyss of heaven He, who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, CHAPTER V. The model society of the hive-bec-The Wasp-The Ant-The Ant-lion-The land crab-General inferences-Conclusion. Who has not spent many a bright summer's morning in watching the proceedings of the hive bec? When the gates of the populous city are thrown open, and the hum of the multitude rises on the still air, take your station near the city; now a troop of laborers come struggling out; now a band laden with the sweets of the field, blocks up the entrance; and now, all is clear again. Hark, that low buzz! There comes a funeral procession; see them bearing off the little corpse of a companion; now a posse of carpenters are repairing some of the public works. What now? Here come workers, builders and nurses, elbowing and crowding one another, with true city politeness. See that! One of them is almost crushed; they should summon the police; their exquisite sense foretells the approach of rain, and they are hastening to shelter. But could you obtain a pass port into the wondrous metropolis, your admiration would be, if possible, increased. In the main streets, you will see companies by tens and twenties, with their wings united by the marginal hooks, whose duty it is to ventilate the crowded streets by the motion of these natural fans; yonder comes a relief file. Wo betide the ignorant snail who incautiously ventures within the hive! They cannot pierce the shell with their weapons; they might cover the unwieldy intruder with propolis,* but that would be expensive; and that is an important consideration, for you * Resembling wax. young or old, gay or grave, you may, if you will, be the better for it. Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, Seek'st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast- Lene wandering, but not lost. All day thy wings have fanned, And soon that toil shall end, Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest Thou'rt gone--the abyss of heaven, He, who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, CHAPTER V. The model society of the hive-bee-The Wasp-The Ant-The Ant-lion-The land crab-General inferences-Conclusion. Who has not spent many a bright summer's morning in watching the proceedings of the hive bee? When the gates of the populous city are thrown open, and the hum of the multitude rises on the still air, take your station near the city; now a troop of laborers come struggling out; now a band laden with the sweets of the field, blocks up the entrance; and now, all is clear again. Hark, that low buzz! There comes a funeral procession; see them bearing off the little corpse of a companion; now a posse of carpenters are repairing some of the public works. What now? Here come workers, builders and nurses, elbowing and crowding one another, with true city politeness. See that! One of them is almost crushed; they should summon the police; their exquisite sense foretells the approach of rain, and they are hastening to shelter. But could you obtain a pass port into the wondrous metrop olis, your admiration would be, if possible, increased. In the main streets, you will see companies by tens and twenties, with their wings united by the marginal hooks, whose duty it is to ventilate the crowded streets by the motion of these natural fans; yonder comes a relief file. Wo betide the ignorant snail who incautiously ventures within the hive! They cannot pierce the shell with their weapons; they might cover the unwieldy intruder with propolis,* but that would be expensive; and that is an important consideration, for you * Resembling wax. must know that the bec is an accomplished economist; so they take a hint from the snail, and fasten his house with an insoluble cement to the walls, thus making the unconscious animal a prisoner for life, and then in true Egyptian fashion, embalm the gigantic carcass. Then their architecture solves a problem which has puzzled many a mathematician, and one in fact, which was wrought since the time of Newton, crowning the discoverer with a mead of unmerited praise. In the language of Reaumur, "a quantity of matter being given, it is required to form out of it, cells, which shall be equal and similar, and of a determinate size, but the largest possible, with relation to the quantity of matter employed, while they shall occupy the least possible space." The hexagonal* cell of the hive-bee, fulfils the conditions of the problem. A casual observer, however, will not fail to perceive great variety in the construction of their cells, showing an adaptation to circumstances which would swell the instinct roll to a fearful extent. That the standard form is the result of pure instinct, I do not doubt, but that a certain degree of intelligence is exhibited in many of their acts, I have no hesitation in saying. Some of the cells are circular, and some elliptical; some are formed of four pieces, and some of five; some are erect like so many columns, others lie horizon. tally; some of them are half an inch in depth, some, thrice that capacity. Perhaps the most interesting portion of the subject is the loyalty manifested by all classes towards the royal family. Nothing can exceed the affection, and care of these miniature subjects, for the queen, who is literally the mother of her people. Her slightest wish is gratified; when she moves, à Having six sides and six angles. |