26 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



[CH. I. 



modern times. History does not inform us who 

 first drew these creatures from the wilderness, and 

 rendered their industry subservient to the purposes 

 of man — purposes for which the cultivation of the 

 sugar-cane now partially provides. According to 

 Cicero and Pliny, the philosopher Hyliscus quitted 

 human society, and retired to the desert in order to 

 contemplate the more peaceful industry of the bee. 

 The thousand moral qualities which have been 

 gravely attributed to them will probably excite a 

 smile. They who wished to observe their habits 

 and proceedings, were admonished first to examine 

 their consciences — for it is said that these beings 

 could not endure the presence of the adulterer, and 

 gave no quarter to the thief. But putting aside fa- 

 bles, emanating from the imagination of the an- 

 cients, the real history of the bee is abundantly in- 

 teresting. 



A community or swarm of bees consists, first, ol 

 workers (fig. 2) ; these are of no sex ; amount ge- 

 nerally to many thousands in number, und are easily 



