On the Threshold of the Hive 
tains so much that is wonderful does 
not warrant our seeking to add to its 
wonders. Besides, I myself have now for 
a long time ceased to look for anything 
more beautiful in this world, or more 
interesting, than the truth; or at least 
than the effort one is able to make 
towards the truth. I shall state nothing, 
therefore, that I have not verified myself, 
or that is not so fully accepted in the 
text-books as to render further verifica- 
tion superfluous. My facts shall be as 
accurate as though they appeared in a 
practical manual or scientific monograph, 
but I shall relate them in a somewhat 
livelier fashion than such works would 
allow, shall group them more harmoni- 
ously together, and blend them with 
freer and more mature reflections. The 
reader of this book will not learn there- 
from how to manage a hive; but he will 
know more or less all that can with any 
5 
