The Life of the Bee 

 forsake the plants in the woods, though 

 these be still in full blossom, and will con- 

 fine their visits to the flowers of cabbage 

 and colza alone. In this fashion they 

 regulate, day by day, their distribution 

 over the plants, so as to collect the great- 

 est value of saccharine Hquid in the least 

 possible time. 



"It may fairly be claimed, therefore, for 

 the colony of bees that, in its harvesting 

 labours no less than in its internal economy, 

 it is able to establish a rational distribution 

 of the number of workers without ever 

 disturbing the principle of the division of 

 labour." 



[ 49 ] 

 But what have we to do, some will ask, 

 with the intelligence of the bees ? What 

 concern is it of ours whether this be a little 

 less or a little more? Why weigh, with 

 such infinite care, a minute fragm.ent of 



176 



