The Life of the Bee 



more closely examine the fashion in which 

 these "ten thousand individuals" avoid 

 hurting each other, and end by giving as- 

 sistance? And further, is this not the 

 history of ourselves ; and does not all 

 that the angry old naturalist says apply 

 equally to every one of our human socie- 

 ties ? And yet once again : if the bee is 

 indeed to be credited with none of the 

 feelings or ideas that we have ascribed to 

 it, shall we not very willingly shift the 

 ground of our wonder ? If we must not 

 admire the bee, we will then admire 

 nature ; the moment must always come 

 when admiration can be no longer denied 

 us, nor shall there be loss to us through 

 our having retreated, or waited. 



[31] 



However these things may be, and with- 

 out abandoning this conjecture of ours, that 

 at least has the advantage of connecting 

 96 



