IV 

 THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



[45] 



LET us now, in order to form a 

 clearer conception of the bees' in- 

 tellectual power, proceed to consider their 

 methods of inter-communication. There 

 can be no doubting that they understand 

 each other ; and indeed it were surely- 

 impossible for a republic so considerable, 

 wherein the labours are so varied and so 

 marvellously combined, to subsist amid 

 the silence and spiritual isolation of so 

 many thousand creatures. They must be 

 able, therefore, to give expression to 

 thoughts and feelings, by means either 

 of a phonetic vocabulary or more prob- 

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