NATURAL HISTORY. 51 



workers and two queens, from hive No. 1, to see if they would feed the 

 maggots of hive No 2, which the workers readily did. There was no 

 difference between these and the first. To the third piece of comb I 

 put two queens of the same hive and workers of the hives Nos. I and 3, 

 in equal numbers ; so that there were young queens of hive No. 2 with 

 labourers of hives Nos. 1 and 3. For the first day they were very 

 restless, and a good deal of fighting took place ; but they afterwards 

 settled and assisted in feeding the maggots. Here, then, the maggots 

 became the bond of union between the labourers of the two hives. 

 They united, contrary to their instinctive principles^ to relieve the 

 distressed. 



This instinctive principle to associate is natural to all animals, but is 

 much stronger in some than in others : and, when increased by acquaint- 

 ance, it becomes stronger ; and, indeed, so much so, as to appear at first 

 view rather an acquired principle : for, the natural bent of strangers, 

 even of the same species, is to quarrel and fight ; but then they associate 

 afterwards. However, I believe that it is not so much the natural 

 disposition in every species, except [it be] excited by some circum- 

 stance, viz. towards a stranger. 



A hornet, bee, wasp, &c, will fight any animal (perhaps those of 

 their own species more readily) that may intrude on their domestic 

 concerns ; but they will not pay attention to one another, when they 

 meet on the same flower, on a ripe peach, &c. 



The same principle exists in the Human race ; Men have their degrees 

 of attraction towards each other according as they are circumstanced in 

 life. In close connexions he is sociable, excepting interests clash (in 

 which case no animal is sociable). In the crowd he forms his likings, 

 dislikings, and indifferences. But, take him to Siberia, and let him 

 meet the man he most disliked in his own country ; he will immediately 

 become sociable with that man. He is, in such a situation, deprived of 

 the acquired cause of sociability, viz. acquaintance ; and he feels the 

 want of such : so that the moment the object of acquaintance presents 

 himself, he associates with him ; for the dislike arose from having had 

 great choice. This becomes exactly similar to an appetite. A man, 

 in the midst of a great variety of foods, forms his likings and dislikings, 

 which arises from having choice ; but, take away that choice, and let 

 him have new kinds of foods which his appetite does not associate with, 

 he will immediately take to the old food he had been in some degree 

 accustomed to, but which he had disliked. 



Upon this principle, animals may be made to associate that otherwise 

 would not. Thus if we wish a strange animal to associate with others 

 accustomed to a place, take the whole into a strange place, and let 



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