34 THE HONEY-BEE. 



use in permitting them to continue alive. Still, some 

 will be allowed to exist, for the sake of other com- 

 munities, as it is now maintained, with much show of 

 reason, that a young queen selects for her consort 

 a drone not belonging to her own hive. The im- 

 portance of this crossing of breed, for keeping up the 

 vigour of the race, is one of the best ascertained facts 

 in natural history. While, then, we cannot suppose 

 the bees to be aware of the benefits to be derived from 

 this " selection before marriage," we see in it one more 

 circumstance indicating the marvellous capabilities of 

 so-called " instinct " we would prefer very much to 

 say one more proof of the all-pervading superin- 

 tendence of a Divine Mind, which works throughout 

 what we call Nature. We might, indeed, expect that 

 He, without whose supervision not a sparrow alights 

 on the ground in search of its food, would show to 

 our intelligent inquiries equally plain evidence of His 

 universal working, and of His infinitely wise deter- 

 mination of all that has to do with the welfare and 

 the permanence of the various classes of the animal 

 and vegetable worlds. 



