182 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



tical, and yet they contain differences 

 which determine almost countless 

 variations in form, color, size, in- 

 stinct, capability and temper." "That 

 the spermatozoon enters the egg is 

 certain, for it may be found if the 

 latter be carefully examined imme- 

 diately after deposition." " The head 

 of the spermatozoon is very narrow 

 in order that the micropylaraperature 

 may be passed." 



Here, then, within this atom whose 

 presence is revealed to us by the 

 microscope, is latent those subtle yet 

 potent forces, which may have been 

 conserved for months, perhaps for 

 years, awaiting the time and the 

 environment when in complete agree- 

 ment with the law of its development, 

 it should be called upon to determine, 

 even to the minutest variation, the 

 distinctive characteristics of a new 

 creature. The determination of sex 

 is a matter of choice, a royal preroga- 

 tive. The limitation of sexual devel- 

 opment ; the determination of form, 

 function and instinct— reference being 

 had to all female larvie— is a matter 

 of choice among the workers, the 

 prerogative of intelligence superior to 

 that of the queen. The queen, in the 

 ordinary and normal performance of 

 her function, is simply reproducing 

 ancestral features which must appear 

 in the direct line ot hereditary trans- 

 mission. Every unfecundated egg 

 must produce a male larva, and every 

 fecundated egg must produce a female 

 larva. And here, in these direct 

 lines, her prerogative of sexual differ- 

 entiation ends. 



It is here at this stage where a more 

 subtile differentiating influence mani- 

 fests itself, modifying larval adapta- 

 tion and determining structural fea- 

 tures radically different and radically 

 divergent in instinct and function. It 

 is indeed very wonderful that the 

 queen should have the power to vol- 

 untarily control the sex of her off- 

 spring, but the marvel consists not so 

 much in the exercise of that function, 

 as in the singular and unique adapta- 

 tion of the delicate organs by which 

 the function is performed. That sec- 

 ondary characteristics should now 

 appear, not inherent in ancestral 

 germs, or contributed by ancestral 

 transmission, appears to me far more 

 strange. That this extra differential 

 influence, operating through intelli- 



fence or instinct— and the partition 

 etween these two appears to be very 

 thin— and in no sense through ances- 

 tral transmission, should become per- 

 sistent, is marvelous beyond satis- 

 factory explanation. We look to the 

 future for explanation of how the 

 same organic being may be made to 

 assume either one of two divergent 

 modiHcations of structure, instinct 

 and function : and how this specializa- 

 tion for different functions has been 

 made persistent, and from a remote 

 origin transmitted from one genera- 

 tion to another through an anomalous 

 agency. 



Every receptive soul is filled with 

 reverence and awe when brought into 

 the presence of stupendous mani- 

 festations of i)ower. I liave stood 

 upon the shore of the ocean and in the 

 mountain gorge, and on Table Rock : 



I have seen the rising sun reflected 

 from the snow-capped peaks of the 

 Rockies, and have found myself say- 

 ing." How wonderful are thy works !" 

 and yet, I could not help adding : 

 " However. I find everything very 

 like what I had expected." I have 

 looked upon the revelations of the 

 telescope, and have followed the 

 astronomer as he spoke with familiar- 

 ity of the millions of miles measuring 

 the inter-stellar spaces, and with 

 mathematical accuracy computed the 

 times and seasons in the great design 

 of planetary revolutions ; and I have 

 tried to lift up my thoughts to the 

 contemplation of " The Great De- 

 signer," whose ways are past finding 

 out. If it be true that the mind is 

 thus filled with admiration and rever- 

 ence in the presence of the immense 

 and imposing, what shall be the emo- 

 tions of the receptive soul, when the 

 transcendent grandeur of the minute 

 is disclosed V I have looked upon the 

 revelations of the microscope, and the 

 blood has stopped in its customary 

 courses, and with blanched cheek and 

 downcast eyes, I felt like saying : 

 " J'ut off thy shoes from off thy feet." 

 Verily our thoughts should be 

 humbled and our emotions sublimated, 

 whether we contemplate the handi- 

 work of omnipotent power and the 

 sway of immutable law in the crea- 

 tion and ordering of the eccentric 

 solar system, or wliether we recognize 

 the presence of that same power and 

 that same law, differently manifested 

 in the unfolding of insect life, and in 

 determining the differentiating con- 

 ditions, which, with marvelous and 

 delicate precision, establish and per- 

 petuate form, function, and instinct. 



** From the dritt of a star to the drift of a soul. 

 The world is all miraele under eontrol; 

 The butterfly's wing and man'ts reverent awe. 

 Ahke wear tlie cliain of inscrutable law ; 

 A law that allures us. but ever eludes, 

 That baffles our groping, but never deludes ; 

 We never can hold it ; it holds us secure ; 

 And the wisest in reading shall longest endure ; 

 A Faith-bow of promise, a promise replete- 

 Forever fulHlling, but never complete : 

 We chase where it beckons, and gather tlie gold. 

 And lo, on before us, new treasures unfold !'* 



U. S. Apicultural Sta., Aurora, 5 111. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



"Breton, Please Don't!" 



WM. F. CLARKE. 



Dr. Miller's article on page 132 of 

 the American Bee Journal, in 

 which the above pathetic entreaty 

 occurs, reminds me of an incident 

 which happened many years ago at a 

 Methodist Conference in England. 

 A good brother who lisped, fell asleep 

 during the proceedings, dreamed that 

 the Conference Mas having a big 

 quarrel, " spoke out in tneetin ' " and 

 exclaimed, " Peath, brethren, peath !" 

 A member of the Conference, in a fit 

 of sudden anger, replied by askin'g in 

 stentorian tones, " Who's at war, you 

 sleepy hog y" It was a very coarse 

 and unchristian rejoinder. I wash 

 my hands utterly of the latter part of 

 it, but beg to ask Dr. M., " who's at 



In his anxiety to make out a case, I 

 really think the Doctor does me at 

 least a trifle of injustice. Now, 

 Brother Miller, did I say any thing at 

 all approaching the words you put 

 into my mouth ? " As who should 

 say, ' You just dare to say a word 

 against the Heddon hive.' " I started 

 abruptly with very strong language 

 in commendation of the new hive, 

 and then said, I had not spoken 

 rashly, but was prepared to back up 

 my statements with strong reasons 

 and cogent arguments. I invited 

 " any gladiator " who felt so disposed, 

 to " pick up the gauntlet for a friendly 

 tilt over them."' A "friendly tilt" 

 observe. Surely, you have no objec- 

 to that ! I can truly say I never felt 

 more good-natured in my life than 

 when I wrote the paragraph which 

 has excited Dr. M"s alarm. I was just 

 brimful of pleasure, "tickled to 

 death " at having found exactly the 

 hive I had been looking for so long. 



If Dr. M. suffered from bee-stings 

 as much as I do, he would be able to 

 appreciate my gladness at having a 

 system of manipulation put before me 

 by means of which I can escape open- 

 ing the hive, except on rare occasions, 

 and do most of my work in the apiary 

 so quickly, that even an Italian would 

 hardly have time to interview me. 

 When people are full of happiness 

 over some piece of rare good fortune, 

 they are no more quarrelsome than a 

 bee is when full of honey. 



There is another place in the Doc- 

 tor's article where I think he gives 

 me a homceopathic dose of injustice. 

 " It is entirely proper for A to say 

 that no other hive but the Heddon 

 should be used, giving reasons for 

 such belief." To be sure, he quotes A, 

 but the connection plainly implies 

 that he means C. Now, I did not 

 take the ground that "no other hive 

 but the Heddon should be used." I 

 said what implied that I meant to 

 use it, and gave the reasons. I am 

 selfish and wicked enough to hope 

 that everybody won't adopt it right 

 away, because I want to make a little 

 at honey production before the thing 

 is overdone, as I am sadly afraid it 

 will be when my theory of hibernation 

 and Mr. Heddon 's hive are generally 

 adopted. 



In one point I think the worthy 

 Doctor is inconsistent with himself. 

 He sets out by saying he is dreadfully 

 afraid there is "just a speck of a 

 cloud which begins to threaten " the 

 bursting forth of a storm. This 

 feeling came over him, he says, " as I 

 read what points to a controversy 

 over the Heddon hive." Farther on, 

 he says, " When any man puts before 

 the public a new thing, especially if 

 it be patented, that public has the 

 right to discuss it." Well, I started 

 the discussion by laying down a 

 proposition in favor of Mr. Heddon's 

 book and hive. Was that wrong V I 

 didn't want the discussion to be one- 

 sided, and therefore invited all who 

 disagreed with me to " come on " and 

 have a " friendly tilt." I think this is 

 just what the Doctor says the public 

 has a right to do. 



I do not know a shade of difference 

 between the meaning of the words 



