64 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. III. 



a future plant. Now, it has been remarked by a 

 great number of naturalists, that the bee, when it 

 collects the pollen from one plant, does not go to a 

 different sort of plant for more, but, labouring to col- 

 lect the same kind of fertilizing dust, it seeks only 

 the same kinds of flowers. Since the fecundation 

 of the vegetable kingdom is effected in no small 

 degree through the medium of insects, which, while 

 searching for their own food, unconsciously sprinkle 

 the fertilizing pollen on the reproductive organs of 

 plants, it follows, that had the bee gone from one 

 kind of flower to another, this would have given rise 

 to hybrid plants, and thus have counteracted the 

 purposes of nature. 



" I have frequently," says Dobs, " followed a bee 

 loading the farina bee-bread or crude wax on its legs, 

 through part of a great field in flower, and on what- 

 ever flower it first alighted and gathered the farina, 

 it continued gathering from that kind of flower, and 

 passed over many other species, though very nume- 

 rous in the field, without alighting on or loading from 

 them — though the flower it chose was much scarcer 

 than the others : so that if it began to load from a 

 daisy, it continued loading from the same, neglecting 

 clover, honeysuckles, and the violet. What farther 

 confirms my observation is, that each load on the 

 legs of a bee is of one uniform colour. 



Besides honey and pollen, there is a third substance 

 which bees collect as essential for their purposes 

 This is a resinous gum, differing from wax in tena- 

 city as well as in various other qualities ; it is an 

 exuding substance found in certain trees, such as the 

 birch, the willow, and the poplar. To the ancients 

 it was known under the name of propolis. Near the 

 outlet of one of his hives, Huber placed some 

 branches of the poplar tree, which exudes a trans- 

 parent juice of the colour of garnet. Several worker- 

 bees were soon seen perching upon these branches ; 

 having detached some of this resinous gum, they 



