The Swarm 
28 
This unwavering affection having come 
under the notice of man, he was able to turn 
to his own advantage the qualities to which 
it gives rise, or that it perhaps contains: the 
admirable political sense, the passion for 
work, the perseverance, magnanimity, and 
devotion to the future. It has allowed 
him, in the course of the last few years, 
to a certain extent to domesticate these 
intractable insects, though without their 
knowledge; for they yield to no foreign 
strength, and in their unconscious servitude 
even obey only the laws of their own adop- 
tion. Man may believe, if he choose, that 
possessing the queen, he holds in his hand 
the destiny and soul of the hive. In accord- 
ance with the manner in which he deals 
with her—as it were, plays with her—he can 
increase and hasten the swarm, or restrict 
and retard it ; he can unite or divide colonies, 
and direct the emigration of kingdoms. And 
yet it is none the less true that the queen is 
essentially merely a sort of living symbol, 
73 
