. MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. vie) 
cause, be that as it may, it is, no doubt, con- 
sistent with the law of nature; it is, no 
doubt, a part of that all prevailing law, and 
though hitherto undiscevered, I do cherish 
strong hopes that the observatory-hive I have 
constructed, will, on some auspicious future 
day, disclose such facts as will set the matter 
to rest for ever. 
CHAPTER XIIL 
RETARDED IMPREGNATION. 
Tere is a fact connected with. this part 
of the natural history of the Mother Bee, 
which involves great difficulties. 'The fact 
itself was discovered by Huber, but itscause 
he was unable to develop, and no succeeding 
naturalist has been able to free it from the 
obscurity in which he has left it; I mean 
the effects of retarded impregnation. These 
effects are such as I could hardly credit, were 
