SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF FRANCIS HUBER. 495 



The senses of bees were the next subject of investigation, and we 

 will o-ive, in brief, the results which Huber readied. The lenses of 

 the bee's eyes are not adjustable ; and, though they can see accurately 

 to great distances, they seem blind to objects close by. Bees dart 

 down to the door of their hives with a precision which is generally un- 

 erring, but, if, from any cause, they miss the opening, they are obliged 

 to rise in the air, in order to take another observation. 



If bees hear which is a doubtful question, the old-fashioned "tang- 

 ing " to the contrary they certainly hear only what affects their wel- 

 fare. Their sense of taste is also far from perfect, foul ditch-water 

 being often preferred by them to limpid streams, or even dew, and ill- 

 smelling plants having quite as much attraction as sweet ones ; it is 

 the quantity, rather than the quality of their food, for which they care. 

 They are also fond of the secretion of the aphides, the milch-cattle 

 of the ants. 



Their sense of smell is very keen ; the presence of honey they de- 

 tect, even in the most carefully-concealed places. Honey-bees often, 

 in scarce seasons, attack the bumble-bees on their return from the 

 fields laden with honey, and force them to disgorge all they have col- 

 lected. Its presence in the honey-bag must have been detected by 

 the sense of smell. The seat of this sense is in the mouth ; this Huber 

 determined by presenting successively to all parts of the body, on 

 camel's-hair pencils, odors especially repugnant to them. When held 

 near the mouth, the bee started back as if annoyed. On one occasion 

 he mixed honey with camphor, which they especially dislike ; by some 

 means they managed to separate and remove all the honey, leaving the 

 camphor untouched. 



The sense which seems to be most perfect in these little creatures 

 is that of touch, and that seems to reside wholly in the antenna?. 

 Greetings, caresses, and the communication of intentions, are always 

 effected, by one bee toward another, by crossing their antenna?. It 

 must be remembered that no light enters a hive under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances. " The bee," says Huber, " constructs its comb in dark- 

 ness ; it pours its honey into the magazines, feeds its young, judges 

 of their age and necessities, recognizes its queen, all by aid of its an- 

 tenna?, which are much less adapted for becoming acquainted with 

 objects than our hands. Therefore, shall we not grant to this sense 

 modifications and perfections unknown to the touch of man?" 



In order to determine the means of communicating ideas which 

 exist among the bees, Huber divided a hive into two parts by a fine 

 wire grating ; the bees on both sides of the grating continued their 

 work tranquilly, collecting honey, storing pollen, and building no 

 royal cells. It was again divided,by two parallel wire gratings, which 

 admitted communication by means of every other sense except touch. 

 The queenless half of the swarm fell into their usual distress and agita- 

 tion, and soon set about constructing royal cells. By other experi- 



