THE BLACK BEES OF HUBER. 31 



is as great a stranger to the eye of the bee, as it is to that of 

 a herring*. 



It was one of the crotchets of Huber, that every bee has 

 its appointed department of labour, to which it is by nature 

 confined, and, consequently, that it is not governed by any 

 positive concert of action. Accordingly, he divides the bees 

 into several classes or communities, in the first place, we 

 have the nurse bees — secondly, the wax makers — thirdly, the 

 wax ivorkers— fourthly, the jelly makers — and fifthly, those 

 who may be regarded in the household economy of the hive, 

 as bees of all work. Not contented, however, with this 

 classification, on which we shall have occasion to enter fur- 

 ther into detail, in a subsequent part of this work, he has 

 discovered other inmates of the hive, which are brought into 

 existence for no other purpose, than to be unceremoniously 

 driven out of the hive, either to be starved to death, or to be 

 killed in dire conflict with the more favoured portion of the 

 community. These truly unfortunate insects, which are only 

 born to be killed, are by Huber styled black bees, as they 

 are, however, determined by him to be of no use whatever, 

 he did not waste his valuable time in examining their sexual 

 character, or the origin of their existence. J\lr. Rennie, 

 however declares the discovery of these black bees, to be 

 most miraculous, in which we most cordially agree with him, 

 as that which is miraculous, is always contrary to, or beyond 

 the ordinary operations of nature. Kirby supposes these 

 black bees to be toil-worn, superannuated workers, and con- 

 sequently of no further use to the community. One mo- 



* If Mr. Duncan can derive any satisfaction from the knowledge that he 

 does not stand singly amongst the apiarians, in his hypothesis respecting the 

 sleep of bees, we refer him to a work printed at Saragossa in 1621, entitled, 

 Perfecta y curiosa declaration de los provechos grandes que dan las colmenas, 

 bene adminislr ados, y alabancas de las abejas ; par Jaime Gil, Natural de Magal- 

 lone. En Saragoza, 1621. — This author informs us that the bees sleep during 

 the night, and especially on fast days, and he further informs us, that bees 

 cannot possibly thrive without being copiously sprinkled with holy water. The 

 priests are of the same opinion, because it is a source of revenue to them. 



