44 MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



It would be a pleasing duty, and not an unprofitable one, 

 to give in this connection a complete history of entomology 

 so far as it relates to Apis mellifica. Yet, this would take 

 much space, and as there is quite a full history in books that 

 I shall recommend to those who are eager to know more of 

 this interesting department of natural history, I will not go 

 into details. 



Aristotle wrote of bees more than three hundred years B. 

 C. About three hundred years later, Virgil, in his fourth 

 Georgia, gave to the world the views then extant on this sub- 

 ject, gathered largely from the writings of Aristotle. The 

 poetry will ever be remarkable for its beauty and elegance — 

 would that as much could be said for the subject matter, 

 which, though full of interest, is also full of errors. A little 

 later Columella, though usually careful and accurate in his 

 observations, still gave voice to the prevailing errors, though 

 much that he wrote was valuable, and more was curious. 

 Pliny, the Elder, who wrote in the first century A. D., helped 

 to continue the erroneous opinions which previous authors had 

 given, and not content with this, he added opinions of his 

 own, which were not only without foundation, but were often 

 the perfection of -absurdity. 



After this, nearly two thousand years passed with no pro- 

 gress in natural history; even for two centuries after the revival 

 of learning, we find nothing worthy of note. Swammerdam, 

 a Dutch entomologist, in the middle of the 17th century, 

 wrote a general history of insects, also, " The Natural History 

 of Bees." He and his English cotemporary, Ray, showed 

 their ability as naturalists by founding their systems on the 

 insect transformations. They also revived the study .and 

 practice of anatomy, which had slept since its first introduc- 

 tion by Aristotle, as the great stepping-stone in zoological 

 progress. Ray also gave special attention to Hymenoptera, 

 and was much aided by Willoughby and Lister. At this time 

 Harvey, so justly noted for his discovery of the circulation of 

 the blood, announced his celebrated dictum, "Omnia ex ovo," 

 — all life from eggs — which was completely established by 

 the noted Italians, Redi and Malpighi. Toward the middle 



