1 1 6 The Honey-Makers 



theories concerning the origin of bees, the most popular of 

 which we will let Aristotle state. 



" All persons are not agreed as to the generation of bees, 

 for some say that they collect them from the flowers of the 

 honeysuckle, and others from the flowers of the calamus. 

 Others again say that they are found in the flowers of the 

 olive, and produce this proof, that the swarms are most 

 abundant when the olives are fertile. Other persons affirm 

 that they collect the young of the drones from any of the 

 substances we have named, but that the rulers produce the 

 young of the bees." 



Virgil has the bees gather their young from leaves. 



" Chiefly will you marvel at this custom pecuhar to 

 bees, — they themselves cull their progeny with their mouths 

 from leaves and fragrant herbs ; they themselves raise up a 

 new king and little subjects, and build new palaces and 

 waxen realms." 



The pretty fancy that the bees gathered their young from 

 flowers and leaves lingered for centuries, opposed, as we 

 know, by the less pleasing theory that bees were bred 

 spontaneously from carcasses. 



Moffett in his " Theatre of Insects '' gives us the seven- 

 teenth-century idea on the subject, from which we learn that 

 some at least, still believed in the theory of the carcass, which 

 had not suffered for want of elaboration as time passed. 



" Forasmuch as Philosophers have given out that bees 

 (for the first sin of mankinde are begotten of putrefaction ; 

 there are not wanting those that deny they were created in 

 the first week of the world. 



"Of the first generation of Bees Aristotle hath a long dis- 

 course. The Philosophers following him have rightly deter- 

 mined in my opinion, that their generation doth proceed 

 from the corruption of some other body : as of a Bull, Oxe, 

 Cow, Calf, very excellent and profitable beasts : the which 



