380 AFFECTION OF INSECTS FOR THEIR YOUNG. 



that it was impossible the mass should stand firmly. 

 Its unsteadiness disquieted the humble-bees extremely. 

 Their affection for their young led them to mount upon 

 the cocoons for the sake of imparting warmth to the in- 

 closed little ones, but in attempting this the comb tottered 

 so violently that the scheme was almost impracticable. 

 To remedy this inconvenience, and to make the comb 

 steady, they had recourse to a most ingenious expedient. 

 Two or three bees got upon the comb, stretched them- 

 selves over its edge, and with their heads downwards 

 fixed their fore feet on the table upon which it stood, 

 whilst with their hind feet they kept it from falling. In 

 this constrained and painful posture, fresh bees relieving 

 their comrades when weary, did these affectionate little 

 insects support the comb for nearly three days ! At the 

 end of this period they had prepared a sufficiency of wax 

 with which they built pillars that kept it in a firm posi- 

 tion : but by some accident afterwards these got dis- 

 placed, when they had again recourse to their former 

 manoeuvre for supplying their place, arid this operation 

 they perseveringly continued until M. Huber, pitying 

 their hard case, relieved them by fixing the object of 

 their attention firmly on the table a . 



It is impossible not to be struck with the reflection 

 that this most singular fact is inexplicable on the suppo- 

 sition that insects are impelled to their operations by a 

 blind instinct alone. How could mere machines have 

 thus provided for a case which in a state of nature has 

 probably never occurred to ten nests of humble-bees 

 since the creation ? If in this instance these little ani- 

 mals were not guided by a process of reasoning, what 

 3 Linn. Trans, vi. 247 &c. 



