62 



TflE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



only at the novelty of his discoveries, but also 

 at the iustiTunentality by which they had been 

 effected. Huber, however, had taken great 

 pains in cultivating the naturally acute mind 

 of the young man, in directing his researches, 

 and accustoming him to rigorous accuracy in 

 his observations. And the fact that a glimmer- 

 ing of many of the discoveries reported by the 

 assistant to his master, had presented them- 

 selves to the minds of Linnaeus, Reaumur, and 

 other preceding observers, should so far satisfy 

 us that they were not brought forward merely 

 to support a preconceived theory (of Avhat, it is 

 ])robable that Burnens had no idea,) nor owed 

 their origin to a vivid and exuberant imagina- 

 tion. At a future period Huber was deprived 

 of this valuable coadjutor; but the loss Avas 

 more than compensated, and accuracy in exper- 

 iment and observation, if possible, still more un- 

 questionablj' secured, by the assistance and co- 

 operation of his son, P. Huber, who has given 

 so much delight to the lovers of natural history 

 by his "Researches Concerning the Habits of 

 Ants." 



But, whatever hesitation maj- arise in our 

 minds from the fact of Huber's discoveries not 

 being the result of his personal observation, no 

 doubt can reasonably remain as to such of them 

 as have been repeatedly confirmed and veri- 

 fied by subsequent observers. And this has ac- 

 tually taken place, and holds strictl}^ true as re- 

 gards the most important of them. His discov- 

 eries respecting the impregnation of the queen 

 bee — the consequences of retarded impregna- 

 tion — the power possessed by the working bees 

 of c inverting a worker larva into a queen, a 

 fact, though not originally discovered by Hu- 

 ber, yet, until his decisive experiment'? and 

 illustrations, never entirely known or credited — J 

 the origin of wax, and the manner of its elab- i 

 oration — the nature of propolis — the mode of ; 

 constructing the combs and cells — and of vca- { 

 tilating or renovating the vitiated atmosplicre I 

 of the hives — these, and a variety of othei- par- j 

 ticulars of inferior moment, have almost all-; 

 been repeatedly verified by succeeding observ- i 

 ers, and many of them by the writer of this 

 brief memoir. It is readily admitted that some 

 of his experiments, when repeated, have not 

 been attended with the results which he led us 

 to expect; and some incidents in the proceed- 

 ings of tlie bees stated as having been observed 

 by him or Ids assistant, have nnt yet been wit- 

 nessed by succeeding observers. But in some 

 of them tlie error may have been in the rei>eti- 

 tion; iu others, the result, even under circum- 

 stances apparenlly the same, may not always 

 be uniform, for the instinct of bees is liable to 

 modification; and in some he doubtless riiiiy be, 

 and probably i^ mistaken. In passing judg- 

 'ment, however, on his reported diseoveries, we 

 ougbt to keep in view that the author of tiiem 

 has thrown more light on this portion of natural 

 history, and pursued it wilh more assiduous and 

 minute accuracy, than all tiie other naturalists 

 taken logetlier, who have turncsd their attention 

 to the same pursuit^.; and that therefore nothing 

 short of tlie direct evidence of our Si'uses, tii.e 

 most ligid >^rvutiuy, and the inoif minute coi'- 



rectness of detail in experiment, can justify our 

 denouncing his accuracy, or drawing difi'erent 

 conclusions. His experiments were admirably 

 fitted to elicit the truth, and his experiences so 

 strongly logical, as to afibrd all reasonable secu- 

 rity against any vei'y important error. 

 . Huber's "ISTew Observations on Bees," ad- 

 dressed in the form of letters to his friend Bon- 

 net, appeared in 1792, in one volume. In 1814 

 a second edition was published at Paris, in two 

 volumes, comprehending the result of addi- 

 tional researches on the same subject, edited in 

 part by his son. An English version appeared 

 in 1806, and was very favorably noticed in the 

 EdiiiburrjJi Review. A third edition of this trans- 

 lation was published in Edinburgh in 1821, em- 

 bracing not only the original work of 1792, but 

 also the several additions contained in that of 

 1814, and which had originally made their 

 appearance in the Bibliotheque Brittannique. 

 These additional observations were, On the Or- 

 igin of Wax, On the Use of Farina or Pollen, 

 On the Architecture of Bees, and on the pre- 

 cautions adopted by these insects against the 

 ravages of the Sphinx Atropos or Death-head 

 Moth. 



To enlarge on the personal character and do- 

 mestic circumstances of Huber, falls not strictly 

 within our province, which embraces only, or 

 chiefly, his character and writings as a natur- 

 alist. There are, however, some features in his 

 disposition and some circumstances in his per- 

 sonal history, dwelt upon at considerable length 

 by De Candolle, which appear so well w^orthy 

 the attention of our readers, that we cannot 

 forego the opportunity of detailing them, though 

 necessarily in an abridged form. His manners 

 were remarkably mild and amiable — as is fre- 

 quently found to be the case with those who are 

 afflicted with total blindness — and his conver- 

 sation animated and interesting. "When any 

 one," says his friend, "spoke to him on subjects 

 which interested his heart, his noble figure be- 

 came strikingly animated, and the vivacity of 

 his countenance seemed by a mj^sterious magic 

 to animate even his eyes, which had so long 

 been condemned to blindness." It appears that 

 some of his friends would gladly have persuaded 

 him to try the effect of an operation on one of 

 his ej^js, which seemed to be affected only by 

 simple cataract; but he declined the proposal, 

 and bore not only without complaint, but with 

 habitual cheerfulness, his sad deprivation. His 

 marriage with Maria Ainiee Lullin, the daugh- 

 ter of a Swiss magistrate, was in a high degree 

 romantic. The attachment had began in their 

 early j^oulh, but was opposed by the lady's 

 father, on the ground of Huber's increasing in- 

 firmity, for even then the gradual decay of his 

 organs of vision was become too manifest. The 

 afi'ection and devotedness of the young lady, 

 however, app)eared to strengthen in proportion 

 to the helplessness of their object. She declared 

 to her parents, that although she would have 

 readily submitted to their will, if the man of 

 her choice could have done without her; yet as 

 he now r(>quired the constant attendance of a 

 person who loved him, nothing should prevent 

 her from Liecoraing his wil'i'. Accordingly, as 



