482 BEES AND FLOWERS. 



than their Howors. However, the vastly greater frequency with 

 which these perfumes are foiiiid in floAvers leads one to admit that the 

 theorv of the English authors has at least a great degree of proba- 

 bility. In any case no one will deny that the perfume in flowers docs 

 attract insects, especially the honeyl)ee. 



Still more evident is the attraction of the colors in flowers. Who has 

 not seen bees flying through the fields choosing the favorite flowers and 

 disdaining all others? Numbers of cases have been cited in which 

 the bee evidently associated the notion of color with the idea of booty, 

 and in which the tints of the flowers alcMie served him as a guide. 



I would not dwell on this question had not two eminent naturalists, 

 Gaston Bonier and Plateau, denied '' that, all other things l)eing 

 equal, brilliant colors in preference to those of duller shade attract 

 insects." Plateau covered a dahlia, little by little, with green leaves 

 and observed that the bees continued their visits to the flowers in spite 

 of their green color. Monsieur Forel tried the same experiment by 

 })inning green leaves over twenty-eight out of fifty-three flowers of 

 various colors displayed in the same basket. He found that the bees 

 iunnediately ceased visiting the covered ones (and neglected them for 

 two hours until one bee discovered the stratagem), and within a short 

 time they were visited like the free l)l()ss()ms. '' Plateau, therefore, 

 has experimented badly and drawn false conclusions.'' says Monsieur 

 Foi-el. " When he covered his dahlias he covered them slowly and 

 oidy on top. The bees perceived the trick and could still see the sides 

 of the dahlias. Plateau had failed to leckon with the memory and 

 the attention of the bees." 



Gaston Bonnier experimented differently. On a smooth bit of 

 green turf about 20 m. from some hives he ])laced a I'ow of rectan- 

 gles about 2 m. apart. These blocks, measuring 22 by 12 cm., were 

 red, green, white, or yellow, and all daubed with the same quality of 

 hone3\ They Avere impartially visited by the bees, with apparently a 

 slight i)reference for the green. In considering this experiment one 

 should not forget that there was al)solutely no reason why bees 

 absorbed in the search of ne(;tar or i)ollen should visit these great 

 colored rectangles which in nowise resembled flowers of any kind. 



Monsieur Forel introduced into a basket of dahlias a numl)er of 

 large artificial flowers in the heai't of Avhich he placed a bit of honey. 

 The bees were satislied with the dahlias until one of their luunber 

 wandered into the artificial flowers. As he repeated his trip he Avas 

 imitated by others until the dahlias Avere deserted and all the imita- 

 tions Avere visited exce])t those colored green; this continued cA^en 

 Avhen the artificial floAvers had been despoiled of their honey. All the 

 brilliant imitation attracted the bees; all of the green ones Avere 

 unnoticed. P)ut, in draAving his deductions, I belicA^e Forel is AVJ'ong 

 m not ascribing to bees a keen enough |)erception of odors; he forgets. 



