66 Transactions of the [Sess. 



was of seven years' duration, he on one occasion lost his way on a 

 journey, and suffered so much from exposure to cold, &c,, that his 

 eyesight was seriously affected, and it became only too evident to 

 himself and his immediate friends that ere long he would be 

 entirely deprived of sight ; and M. LuUin strongly opposed the 

 marriage of his daughter to a man so afflicted. Huber, too, had 

 some fear lest the object of his affection should coincide with her 

 father's views, and endeavoured to conceal from her the extent of 

 his calamity. Huber, iu fact, had not sufficient faith in the affec- 

 tion and devotion of this noble-minded girL When she found out 

 he had tried to conceal from her how utterly blind he was becom- 

 ing, she reproached him for his distrust of her — probably the only 

 time she ever reproved him — telling him that there was now the 

 greater reason why they should be united, as he would require 

 that assistance and those innumerable attentions which a devoted 

 wife alone could supply ; that she should soon be of age, and 

 would then be her own mistress, and they would be married. And 

 most admirably did she prove her devotion. She became his right 

 hand in everything, his amanuensis, entering heartily into all his 

 scientific researches ; and in order that, when she could not accom- 

 pany him, he might not be deprived of his accustomed walks, she 

 stretched strings for his guidance along the paths he usually 

 freqiiented. She died many years before Huber ; and he remarks 

 that so long as she lived he never knew to the full extent how 

 great a calamity it is to be blind. Such was this amiable and 

 accomplished woman, Maria Aimee, the wife of Francis Huber. In 

 concluding this part of my subject, I may mention that one of the 

 best simple and practical books on Bees is Mr Cowan's ' Bee- 

 keeper's Guide Book,' published at the moderate price of Is. 6d., 

 which has now run through several editions. 



We will now proceed to the consideration of the natural history 

 of the Hive-Bee ; and this I wiU state as concisely as possible. An 

 ordinary good stock of Bees in the summer consists of one queen 

 or mature female, about 500 drones, and 20,000 workers. Swarms 

 of Bees are now frequently advertised to be sold by weight ; and I 

 may mention that it takes about 5000 Worker-Bees to weigh a 

 pound. The queen is the only Bee which lays eggs ; and it is 

 said she will lay as many as 2000 in twenty-four hours. My own 

 opinion is that this is a slight exaggeration, for it is at the rate 

 of 83 per hour ; and though I have often seen the queen laying 

 eggs much quicker than one a minute, I have observed that after lay- 

 ing a score or so she usually pauses for a time — and it is when she 

 is resting in this manner that you see a group of workers round, 

 with their heads all towards her, apparently caressing her by touches 

 with their antenna;, and offering her food from their tongues (see 

 Illustration). She also spends much time in walking over the combs 



