pins; while in returning to the nest they persistently came down the side of the pillar nearest to the nest, though I repeatedly attempted to guide them the other way. Even when placed on the paper bridge between M and м', they were very dissatisfied. In fact, it was obvious that they knew they were being sent a long way round, and were attempting to make a shorter cut.

Fig. 30.

I then again placed the larvæ on the column at M, and when the ants were once more going to and fro regularly along the paper path, I altered the position of the column and larvæ to M', placing the edge of the pillar, which the ants had been accustomed to ascend, towards the paper bridge, connecting it with the original bridge by a sidebridge a, M being an inch from the original bridge. Under these circumstances three ants ran on to M; then two found their way over the bridge a to M'. Of the next ten ants, five went to M and five over a to M'. The next ten all went over the paper bridge a to м'.

M

Mu

a'

α

M'

I then put the pillar and the larvæ on the other side of the original paper path at M', connected with the main path by a short bridge a', taking for a' a new piece of paper, so that scent would be no guide. I left the little bridge a in its place. The ants went as follows:

It seems clear, therefore, that though the ants did not trust so much to their eyes as a man would have done under similar circumstances, yet that they were to some extent guided by sight.

M

I then removed all the paper

Fig. 31.

M"

M'

pathways and put the pillar to M. Of the first two ants which came to the table, the first found the pillar in five minutes, the second, after wandering about for a quarter of an hour, gave the search up in despair, and went home. I then moved the pillar to M', and watched the next ant

that came on to the table; she found it in a minute or

two. I then moved it to M". Two ants came together. One found the pillar in 7 minutes; the other took no less than 25, although, as already mentioned, the table was only 18 inches in diameter. Obviously, therefore, though it seems clear that they are helped by sight, still these last observations support those previously recorded, and show that in finding their way they do not derive by any means so much assistance from their eyes as we should under corresponding circumstances

CHAPTER X.

BEES.

I ORIGINALLY intended to make my experiment principally with bees, but soon found that ants were on the whole more suitable for my purpose.

In the first place, ants are much less excitable, they are less liable to accidents, and from the absence of wings are more easy to keep under continuous observation.

Still, I have made a certain number of observations with bees, some of which may be worth here recording. As already mentioned, the current statements with reference to the language of social insects depend much on the fact that when one of them, either by accident or in the course of its rambles, has discovered a stock of food, in a very short time many others arrive to profit by the discovery. This, however, does not necessarily imply any power of describing localities. If the bees or ants merely follow their more fortunate comrade, the matter is comparatively simple; if, on the contrary, others are sent, the case becomes very different.

In order to test this I proposed to keep honey in a given place for some time, in order to satisfy myself

that it would not readily be found by the bees; and then, after bringing a bee to the honey, to watch whether it brought others, or sent them-the latter of course implying a much higher order of intelligence and power of communication.

I therefore placed some honey in a glass, close to an open window in my sitting-room, and watched it for sixty hours of sunshine, during which no bees came to it.

I then, at 10 A.M. on a beautiful morning in June, went to my hives, and took a bee which was just starting out, brought it in my hand up to my room (a distance of somewhat less than 200 yards), and gave it some honey, which it sucked with evident enjoyment. After a few minutes it flew quietly away, but did not return; nor did any other bee make its appearance.

The following morning I repeated the same experiment. At 7.15 I brought up a bee, which sipped the honey with readiness, and after doing so for about four minutes flew away with no appearance of alarm or annoyance. It did not, however, return; nor did any other bee come to my honey.

On several other occasions I repeated the same experiments with a like result. Altogether I tried it more than twenty times. Indeed, I rarely found bees to return to honey if brought any considerable distance at once. By taking them, however, some twenty yards each time they came to the honey, I at length trained them to come to my room. On the whole, however, I found it more con