1904. THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 77 



THE DICKEL THEORY. was quite natural for you to question 



. my remarks on selfishness of bees, but 



A Reply to Mr. Horn. if we are to advance in the study of 



By F. Greiner. ^^^ 'if^ ^^ th® bee we must dig deeper 



than we have heretofore. If we are to 



ON PAGE 35 Mr. H. E. Horn says advance much farther in practical bee- 



of the Dickel theory: "The im- keeping, we must needs first advance 



portance of the theory lies per- in a knowledge of the causes of varl- 



haps in the fact that true and absolute ous actions of bees. I will not mind 



inbreeding becomes an easy possibiiiJ'y your criticsm at all if it serves to 



no matter, .... etc." The promoter cause even one person to look deeper, 



of the theory has never made any Professor Jacques Loeb's book on 



claim in this direction so far as I am "Physiology of the Brain" (printed by 



aware of. There is, of course, a closer John Murray, London) may be of as- 



relationship between tlie queen and sistance to you in getting a new view 



the drone of the same colony, if both of first causes. — Arthur C. Miller, 



have the same father as »vell as Prov. R. I., U. S. A., Jan. 15th, 1904. 



mother, than when both have only the ^j^ -^ ^ pleasure to merit the forego- 



same mother m common, ami he one ■ j^^^^^. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ American's 



of the two has no father at all Otlu i^rfghtest students of apiculture We 



erwise any one would meet with the .ventured to suggest that, with such 



same ditticulties m accomplishing close ..j^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ enunciated in his arti- 



inbreeding than when seen m the light ^j^ ^^ ^he American Bee-Keeper, Mr. 



f^i i ^"^^" T •. . K Miller was "likelv to feel lonely." 



The only way as I see it, to be ren- .j.^^^^^^ ^^, ^^ discourtesy. Lack of 



sonably sure that a queen meets a appreciation is a penalty which must 



drone of the same hive would be, to often be paid to genius. Deep thinkers 



rear a queen so early in the season ^.^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ equanimity the 



when there were no drones m the api- criticism of the vulgar mind. No, we 



ary. The colony rearing the queen had not forgotten our Loeb. But when 



would also rear a few drones, whic'i 1^^^^ has spoken, is it certain the last 



the worker bees could do, from eggs ,,.^r^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^i^, j^^^ .^^ ^^ ^^j. 



or very young worker lai-vae m the mal, "forced to orient itself toward the 



hive. According to Dickel all eggs of g^urce of .stimulation," and led, with- 



a normal queen are alike m every re, ^ut will of its own, either toward the 



spect. This IS the whole gist ot the so^^ce of the stimulus or away from 



Dickel theory. For the practi>-al bee- j^., must we, of necessity, see 'selfish- 

 ^^.''^''': . ^t . "If t^rs nothing whether „ess-intensely personal aims, and re- 



Dickel IS nght or Dzierzon, although I gardlessness of the happiness of oth- 



M , '\f\ Tf'o^ V£^r^- ^J-s? Is breathing (which cannot be 



Naples, N. Y., Feb. 29, 1904. avoided), an act of selfishness? 



— Would not the term "self-love" be 



<s-PT -PTQw-wpce nv -r-ppc: ^^^^^ appropriate: or must we, indeed, 



SELFISHNESS OF BEES. j^g^ our old respect for the little in- 



(From the Irish Bee Journal.) sect which has taught so many useful 



Dear Sir — In the American Bee- lessons? We should be very pleased 



Keeper for January, 1904, I note an ex- to have an expression of Mr. Miller's 



tract from your paper, in which you views on this point, agreeing with him, 



ask, "When did 'parental instinct' first as we do, that a knowledge of the 



spell selfishness?" I might ask you to cause of the various actions of bees 



define "parental instinct" and explain could but tend to further advances in 



its cause. Perhaps I can help you. practical bee-keeping. — Ed.) 



This "instinct" is the result of stimuli. 



Under normal conditions a pai-ent ani- r,,, ,. , 



mal can no more avoid supplying its ^^® bee-keepers supply factory ot 



young with food than it can avoid Gus Dittmer, :^gusta, Wis., was 



breathing. But change these stimuli burned Feb. 20th. The hustling pro- 



ever so slightly, and the fond, self-sac- prfetor. however, is probably taking 



nficing parent calmly abandons its ' „ , ., .. 



offspring or deliberately devours them. "^.^^^ ^^ ^" ^^^^^^'^ promptly by this 



From the customary point of view, it time. 



