Francois Iiuber, a Swiss naturalist, born in Geneva, July 2, 1750, died in Lausanne, Dec. 21, 1831. At 15 years of age a too close devotion to the study of the natural sciences, which he had followed from childhood, affected his health and eyesight, and he was taken to Paris for medical treatment. His health was soon restored, but the disease of his eyes was pronounced incurable, and he soon after became totally blind. Before that time he had won the affections of a young lady, Mile. Lullin, who married him, and until the close of his life was unremitting in her devotion to him. Being left by his father in comfortable circumstances, he resumed his investigations in natural science, in which he was aided by his wife, and a faithful attendant named Bur-nens, who ultimately became his reader and amanuensis. He had previously given much attention to the habits of bees, and believing that many of the statements of Reaumur and Bonnet on the subject were erroneous, he proceeded, with the assistance of his wife and attendant, to make a vast number of original observations, which, having been digested and systematically arranged by him, were first published in his Lettres a Ch. Bonnet (1792). The work was reprinted in 1796, and again in 1814, under the title of Nouvelles observations sur les abeilles, both times with important additions.

The last edition contained his Memoire sur l'origine de la cire, in preparing which he was assisted by his son Pierre. The impregnation of the queen bee, and many other important facts in the economy of the beehive, were first made known in this work, which from its intrinsic merits, as well as the unusual circumstances under which it was. prepared, made Huber's name famous throughout Europe. Subsequently, with the cooperation of Sene-bier, he produced a Memoire sur l'influence de l'air et des diverses substances gazeuses dans la germination des differentes plantes (Geneva, 1801). - Pierre, his son, born in Geneva in 1777, was the author of several valuable papers relating to bees and butterflies, and published Pecherches sur les fourmis indigenes (1810). He died at Yverdun in 1840.