IV 



THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



[45] 

 T ET us now, in order to form a 

 -Ly 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, tp._give expression. to„ 



thoughts and feelings, by^jnean^either 

 of a phonetic vocabulary or more prob- 



iS9 ""^ 



