The Life of the Bee 



for, were a choice forced upon us, occa- 

 sional gleams would appear to declare 

 that the inferences we are most desirous 

 to draw will prove to be truest. Besides, 

 let us not forget that our ignorance still is 

 profound. We are only learning to open 

 our eyes. A thousand experiments that 

 could be made have as yet not even been 

 tried. If the Prosopes, for instance, were 

 imprisoned, and forced to cohabit with 

 their kind, would they, in course of time, 

 overstep the iron barrier of total solitude, 

 and be satisfied to live the common life 

 of the Dasypod^, or to put forth the fra- 

 ternal effort of the Panurgi ? And if we 

 imposed abnormal conditions upon the 

 Panurgi, would these, in their turn, pro- 

 gress from a general corridor to general 

 cells ? If the mothers of the humble- 

 bees were compelled to hibernate together, 

 would they arrive at a mutual understand- 

 ing, a mutual division of labour ? Have 



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