The Progress of the Race 



creature, not even man, has achieved, in 

 the centre of his sphere, what the bee has 

 achieved in her own ; and were some one 

 from another world to descend and ask 

 of the earth the most perfect creation of 

 the logic of life, we should needs have 

 to offer the humble comb of honey. 



But the level of this perfection is not 

 maintained throughout. We have al- 

 ready dealt with a few faults and short- 

 comings, evident sometimes and sometimes 

 mysterious, such as the ruinous super- 

 abundance and idleness of the males, 

 parthenogenesis, the perils of the nuptial 

 flight, excessive swarming, the absence of 

 pity, and the almost monstrous sacrifice 

 of the individual to society. To these 

 must be added a strange inclination to 

 store enormous masses of pollen, far in 

 excess of their needs ; for the pollen, 

 soon turning rancid, and hardening, en- 

 cumbers the surface of the comb ; and 

 4o;r 



