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and where the hive could be examined conveniently. The bees had consumed their whole provision of honey; but their dwelling, which did not contain an atom of wax when we established them in it, had now acquired five combs of the most beautiful wax, suspended from its arch, of a pure white, and very brittle. We did not expect so speedy a solution of the problem; but before concluding that the bees had derived the faculty of producing wax from the honey on which they fed, a second experiment, susceptible of no other explanation, was necessary.

The workers, though in captivity, had been able to collect farina; while they were at liberty they might have obtained provisions on the eve or on the day itself of their imprisonment, and enough might have been in the stomach, or on the limbs, to enable them to extract the wax from it that we had found in the hive.

But if it actually came from the farina previously collected, this source was not inexhaustible; and the bees being unable to obtain more, would cease to construct combs, and would fall into absolute inaction. Before proceeding to the second experiment, which was to consist in prolonging their captivity, we took care to remove all the combs they had formed in that preceding. Burnens made them return to the hive, and confined them again with a new portion of honey. The experiment was not tedious. From the evening of the subsequent day, we observed them working in wax anew; and on examining the hive on the third

day, we actually found five combs as regular as those they had made during their first imprisonment.

The combs were removed five times successively, but always under precaution of the escape of the bees from the apartment being prevented, and during this long interval, the same insects were preserved and fed with honey exclusively. Undoubtedly the experiment, had we deemed it necessary, might have been prolonged with equal success.

On each occasion that we supplied them with honey, they produced new combs, which puts it beyond dispute that this substance affected the secretion of wax in their bodies, without the aid of pollen. As the reverse of the preceding experiment would prove whether the pollen itself had the same property, instead of supplying our bees with honey, we fed them on nothing except fruit and farina. They were kept eight days in captivity, under a glass bell with a comb, having only farina in the cells; yet they neither made wax, nor were scales seen under the rings. Could any doubt exist as to the real origin of wax? We entertained none.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JAMES HOLMAN,

A CELEBRATED BLIND TRAVELER.

THE history and writings of this wonderful man cannot fail, we think, to especially interest those of our readers who are wholly unacquainted with the progress which the blind of all ages have made in the intellectual pursuits, and with the various methods adopted by them for the acquisition of knowledge. By those who know but little of the ardent wishes cherished by this class of persons, to make themselves active and useful members of society, the first inquiry will very naturally be-What pleasure will one derive from traveling who cannot look out upon this beautiful world, with all its gay and varied scenery; its green earth; its starry skies; its gay flowers, with their endless variety of sweet faces waving in the clear sunlight; the sloping lawns and rich meadows; the mountains, the woods, and, in short, all that is truly grand and beautiful in nature? This inquiry deserves a kind consideration; and we cannot better meet it than by copying Mr. Holman's own answer to like interrogations:

"I am constantly asked, and I may as well answer

the question here once for all, what is the use of traveling to one who cannot see? I answer, Does every traveler see all he describes? and is not every traveler obliged to depend upon others for a great portion of the information he collects? Even Humboldt himself was not exempt from this necessity. The picturesque in nature, it is true, is shut out from me, and works of art are to me mere outlines of beauty, accessible only to one sense; but perhaps this very circumstance affords a stronger zest to curiosity, which is thus impelled to a more close and searching examination of detail, than would be considered necessary to a traveler who might satisfy himself by the superficial view, and rest content with the first impressions conveyed through the eye. Deprived of that organ of information, I am compelled to adopt a more rigid and less suspicious course of inquiry, and to investigate analytically, by a train of patient examination, suggestions and deductions, which other travelers dismiss at first sight; so that, freed from the hazard of being misled by appearances, I am the less likely to adopt hasty and erroneous conclusions. I believe that, notwithstanding my want of vision, I do not fail to visit as many interesting points, in the course of my travels as the majority of my contemporaries; and by having things described to me on the spot, I think it is possible for me to form as correct a judgment as my own sight would enable me to do; and to confirm my accuracy, I could bring many living witnesses to bear testimony to my end

less inquiries and insatiable thirst for collecting information.

"Indeed, this is the secret of the delight I derive from traveling, affording me, as it does, a constant source of mental occupation, and stimulating me so powerfully to physical exertion, that I can bear a greater degree of bodily fatigue than any one could suppose my frame to be capable of supporting. I am frequently asked how I take my notes. It is simply thus: I keep a sort of rough diary, which I fill up from time to time as opportunities offer, but not from day to day, for I am frequently many days in arrear, sometimes, indeed, a fortnight together; but I always vividly remember the daily occurrences which I wish to retain, so that it is not possible that any circumstances can escape my attention. I also collect distinct notes on various subjects, as well as particular descriptions of interesting objects, and when I cannot meet with a friend to act as my amanuensis, I have still a resource in my own writing-apparatus, of which, however, I but seldom avail myself, as the process is much more tedious to me than that of dictation. But these are merely rough notes of the heads of subjects, which I reserve to expatiate upon at leisure, on my return to old England."

It is thought by many that the lack of sight always presupposes both mental and physical debility, dull perceptions, feeble imagination, and, as a natural sequence, sluggish energies, a tasteless and melancholy existence. But these false conclusions have

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