42 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. II. 



began to construct royal cells for the purpose of re- 

 placing their lost sovereign. 



Seeing, then, that it was not by means of the 

 sense of sight, hearing, smelling, or of any other 

 unknown sense which acted at a distance, that the 

 agitation of bees was excited, Huber so contrived 

 the grating, that the interstices were just large 

 enough to admit the antennae, but not the head of 

 the bee to pass through them. On one side of this 

 grating, a queen bee was placed with a few workers, 

 who immediately paid her the usual homage, by 

 forming a circle with their heads turned towards 

 her, offering her honey, and other marks of atten- 

 tion. On the other side were the rest of the swarm. 

 In this experiment the bees seemed perfectly aware 

 that the queen was not lost ; there was no neglect 

 of labour, no hurry, but every thing went on in a 

 very orderly manner. 



" The means of communicating with this queen," 

 says the same observer, " were very singular. An 

 infinite number of antennae thrust though the grat- 

 ing, and turned in all directions, plainly indicated 

 that the bees were occupied in searching for her. 

 She gave decisive proof that she was aware of the 

 interest which was taken in her existence, by always 

 remaining fixed on the grating, and crossing her 

 antennae with those so evidently employed in ascer- 

 taining her presence. The bees attempted to pull 

 her through to themselves ; for her legs were seized, 

 and firmly held by the antennae which were passed 

 to the other side. Their trunks were likewise ob- 

 served to be introduced to the queen's division ; and, 

 while a captive, she was fed by her subjects from 

 within the hive." 



To make out the use of the antennae, Huber am- 

 putated them altogether ; this experiment produced 

 some remarkable results. The queen, when thus 

 mutilated, ran about the combs, dropped her eggs 

 any where but in the cells ; could not direct her 



