THE BEE. 285

cipally in the length of the proboscis; the palpi are also
nearly obsolete; the legs are furnished with a pollen-plate,
and are destitute of spines; and the body is oblong.

The mention of honey occurs very early in the Sacred
Writings, being included in the presents sent by Israel to
his unknown son Joseph, when the latter was ruler in
Egypt: “And their father Israel said unto them, If it
must be so now, do this: take of the best fruits in the land
in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little
balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and
almonds.” ‘The learned authors of the ‘ Universal His-
tory,’ while adopting the view that the presents sent by
Jacob to the prime minister of Egypt must have consisted
of articles which that country did not afford, contend that
‘honey’ cannot be really intended, as it is not likely that
honey could be a rarity in Egypt. They therefore think
that dates are meant, which are called by the same name,
debash, and which, when fully ripe, yield a sort of honey
not inferior to that of bees. Now, on this very principle,
dates were still less likely than honey to have been sent, as
Egypt is a famous date-growing country. It is, however,
not necessary to understand honey here, as the word cer-
tainly does seem to imply different kinds of sweet things