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 
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