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quiry of the curious, as well as of all classes of socie- 

 ty. I shall quote this chapter at large, and give full 

 scope to the reasonings of the writers, for the pur- 

 poses of general instruction. " Honey is a gum- 

 my, saccharrine, fermentative substance, and the im- 

 mediate principle of all vegetation, without distinction. 

 This elementary substance appears destined to the 

 nourishment of all plants, and particularly in their 

 infancy, in the same manner as milk is destined to 

 the nourishment of the young viviparous animals. It 

 is found in all flowers, but principally in the single 

 ones ; its presence is afterwards perceived in all fruits; 

 it shows itself in the humble flowers of our meadows, in 

 the ears of corn in our fields, and in the leaves of the 

 trees. It exists in the roots, as well as in the body 

 and bark of all vegetables ; it exudes from the trunks of 

 trees ; finally, it appears to be the soul an/1 vital prin- 

 ciple of all plants. On losing this principle, the 

 plants generally decay, and it is the period of their 

 existence. Even the aliments of the human body 

 are impregnated with this fluid, and the Bees know 

 how to obtain it from almost every substance. It is 

 still, however, but a gummy, saccharrine substance, 

 which must pass into the stomach of the Bees before 

 it is converted into honey. As the productions of 

 nature are infinitely varied, so the honey, its consist- 

 ency, taste and colour, vary according to the produc- 

 tions of each country. The same species of flowers 

 yield a different kind of honey according to the dis- 

 tricts, and the greater or less humidity of the season. 

 Even honey of different qualities is extracted from 

 the same hive : that in the cells, in which there has 

 been no brood, is less acrid ; the honey of the swarm 

 is superior to that which has been exposed for one year 

 to the vapours of the hive ; and the honey of the spring 

 is superior to that of autumn. The honey extracted 

 from flowers is the nectar which they enclose, and 

 which was so much boasted of by the ancients, who 

 formed from it the celestial beverage of their gods f 



