, 1879-03-15

the hive, speaking generally, means the welfaro
Of tho individuals that compose It. Directly,
however, thepossesston OF sting can only be
disadvantage to the individual bee, un1css
there are certain enemies from which becs
after fnalcttng a wound can Withdraw
their ettnga and escape with 1ifc. THIS, 30 fnr
as my observation Goes, appears to bo very un.
likely, and therefore no bco eau have my
knowledge from experience OF what weapon
Of oifense he possessrs. for ho has never used
II. nor can hc have any knowledge from expert.
cncc Of tho consequences of using II. All smaller
pests bees attack with tele jaws. Is It possible,
then, that they aro 40 Intelligent as to be welt
as well as to others which they carry about with
them. aud that 1t Is only when they altoRethrr
lose control over themselves. either through
severe pain or through terror lest their queen
deathnarranes on our hands and facesl fn tho
death Of a few worker.bces hive suffers ycry
little loss, perhaps mono at AL; yet 1t may havo
gained much in the shape Of security from tno-
lektatfon. Arc hecs 50 intelligent as TO know
this fact. and communicate 1t from ono to nn-
other. Or can their conduct be explained on tic
lover ground Of instinct
It seams that att Interesting point Is hero
rasel. which perhaps has hecn fully discussed
elsewhere Without my knowledge Of It. IL tic
fact that the sting Of the worker.bee Is an I'M
perfect weapon Of defense result Of tts having
nothing 70 do wtt! the propagation Of It's spe.
c!et, thts 6a!nE left to tic sttnglcss queen and
dronesa Consequently any tendency to develop
moro effective sting ID one generation Of
worker.hees bag no heredltary effect, on sne.
cecllng generations. nor apparently have tie
worker-bccs any Influence Whatever OH the
Workcr.becs that Succeed tlcsn except by the
~ar In which they feed and educate them, un-
less Indeed they can 'tnpress tilcr tendencies
the droncs Or on the future queen before alo
leaves the hlsc. Il they havo no such pt,wer It
seems likely ttat they will always have: to
!amept tho Use OF weapon which nature might
have made a. cifeetlsG ns d sting OF q wasp.
Finally are there nnY other insects In the sus.,o
predcalnent aa workcr-bccs, |. G., unable to uso
their weapons of defense without doing thenl-
selves 1nosc injury than they infiict OH their al
vertaries, aud unnblc.to help their successors Dv
the transmission Of continually aecumuatlug
instinct
TO THE NORTH POLE BY BALLOON.
Commander Cheync, Of The British Royal
Navy, IL making efforts 10 get up IN expedition
to reach the North Polo By means Of balloons.
He Is m experienced Arctic navigator, having
served under Sir james Ross, nni has secured
tho services Of Cppt. Templar, a wc,l-known
aeronaut. Commander Cheync believes Tint
the Gulf Stream sweeps round the polar basin,
and returns by the north md east OF Greenland
as great body Of cold water. He proposes to
utilize this current In the following manner:
The ship would proceed up Davis Strait and
Baflln's Bay; then, turning to the west, would
steam up Lancaster Sound and Queens Cham
mel to tho furthest explored point.
She would next take d north-no1thwcst-
erly direction until the set Of The currcut
was felt, when her course would be uttered to
due north. In any casc, sho would push on
through crerJ available opening In tho leo until
her advance was definitely arrested by the i'd
vent Of winter. In addition to tho usual cQutp-
ment Of slcdges, etc. the vessel would carry
several balloons, each one capable Of lifting
nbout ton weight In addition to the men.
When the sbip became bcset In the pack, thrca
balloons would be inflated and Joined together
hy .neans Of three 1tehs spars sixty feet Iong.
at each nugIc,-thc whole together rcprcscnt-
tng lifting power u ubout three tons.
THIS power would bo employal In CARRYING
9 ssas e oasaeF ssGss esso 'ens
two obseryatorlct about thirty miles apart, with
the ahip rs centre, SO shat 6y the end Of Nav
nscertancd with tolerable nceuracy. Bs this
means, the DISTANCE Of the vessel from Tho Pole
nul The course to be followed bung known, tbs
trnve!ers would 1c enabled to drop within teu
trnil-ropes would be useu for preserving Rn
e1ual altitude above tho ice. When 1t was
necessary to descend, the gas ,would ho nre-
served BY rsconpIcssing l.. by nechan,eal
| readiness for futuru uer II The jourueY should
hays been successful mud tho wiuus fav0rabI.,
tue return trip would ut once be made; tito
balloons hcinE arrested Oh the parallel u iat!-
Ludc upon wcl, thu ship was left icr-blocked.
The commanding otllccr ~ charge wUuld send
out slcdge parties dn[1v' to meet tht
balloons, and glvc whatever assistance might ',s
required. On the breaking up Of the lee the
ship would leave her winter quartera nnd push
round the northern extremity Of Greenland. a
second wtntcr wpuld hero 6o pas1cd, the tino
other scIentlIlr observations. During the fol-
lowing summer, aided BY The natural drift Of
tlls ice, the vessel would steam through every
opening, nnl return home between the conti-
nent Of Greenland uId Spitzbcrgcu. Should no
favorable wind arise, however, to carry him tack
from the Pole to Ills shl,,. ConHlalIIer Chcyne
iuteods continuing his acrial journey, ainl triess
10 co0l lortuue to drop fu Kussia wherever fn-
natikAnts lTe to bc seen.