THE SWARM 



other feelings we choose to ascribe to 

 them, are trul\- no more than forms as- 

 sumed bv the necessities of life, the fear 

 of suffering or death, and the attraction 

 of pleasure. Let it be so; look on it all 

 as a figure of speech : it is a matter to 

 which I attach no importance. The one 

 thing cenain here, as it is the one thing 

 certain in all other cases, is that, under 

 special circumstances, the bees will treat 

 their queen in a special manner. The 

 rest is all m\-ster\-. around which \\e onl}- 

 can weave more or less ingenious and 

 pleasant conjecture. And yet. were we 

 sjKaking of man in the manner wherein 

 it were wise perhaps to speak of the bee, 

 is there ver\" much mere we could say? 

 He too vields only to nec^ssit}-. the at- 



[673 



