First edition of the French translation by Augustin Pillain; the original Polish edition was published in 1874.

The treatise by Girdwoyn (1841-1924) is divided into three parts: the external parts of the body, the internal parts of the body, and finally fertilisation.

It is illustrated with 12 very beautiful plates showing, very enlarged, the body of the bee in its entirety, then its details (head, legs, sting, eyes, etc.) as well as the digestive and nervous systems.

The work was awarded the medal of merit at the World Exhibition in Vienna and the first class medal at the Imperial and Royal Agricultural Society in Krakow.

The translation of this treatise was very successful in France. It had an abundant presence in the press reviews of the century. Girdwoyn is cited both in scientific beekeeping journals (L’Apiculteur, bulletin de la Société centrale d’Apiculture, November 1883, n°11, p.321-325), but also in less specialised and more popular newspapers such as Le Temps. Thus the publication of 26 April 1876 presents the work as “a very complete monograph”.

Girdwoyn is also the author of a study on fish, Pathologie des poissons. Traité des maladies des monstruosités et des anomalies des œufs et des embryons, also published by Rothschild in 1880.

He spent the end of his life in Poland establishing an important culture of fish and bees with the help of Professor Dlûzewski.

A very good copy despite the broken spine.