1874.] 279 



honey for themselves. Those, on the contrary, which were taken to the honey, passed 

 backwards and forwards between it and the hive, making on an average, five journeys 

 in the hour. 



Sir John had also in a similar manner watched a number of marked wasps, with 

 very similar results. 



These and other observations of the same tendency appear to show that, even if 

 bees and wasps have the power of informing one another when they discover a store 

 of good food, at any rate they do not habitually do so ; and this seemed to him a 

 strong reason for concluding that they are not in the habit of communicating facts. 



When once wasps had made themselves thoroughly acquainted with their way, 

 their movements were most regular. They spent three minutes supplying themselves 

 with honey, and then flew straight to the nest, returning after an interval of about 

 ten minutes, and thus making, like the bees, about five journeys an hour. During 

 September they began in the morning at about six o'clock, and later when the morn- 

 ings began to get cold, and continued to work without intermission till dusk. They 

 made, therefore, rather more than fifty journeys in the day. 



Sir John had also made some experiments on the behaviour of bees introduced 

 into strange hives, which seemed to contradict the ordinary statement that strange 

 bees are always recognized and attacked. 



Another point as to which very different opinions have been propounded is the 

 use of the antennse. Some entomologists have regarded them as olfactory organs, 

 some as ears, the weight of authority being perhaps in favour of the latter opinion. 

 In experimenting on his wasps and bees. Sir John, to his surprise, could obtain no 

 evidence that they heard at all. He tried them with a shrill pipe, with a whistle, 

 with a violin, with all the sounds of which his voice was capable, doing so, moreover, 

 within a few inches of their head j but they continued to feed without the slightest 

 appearance of consciousness. 



Lastly, he recounted some observations showing that bees have the power of 

 distinguishing colours. The relations of insects to flowers imply that the former 

 can distinguish colour ; but there had been as yet but few direct observations on 

 the point. 



Mr. McLachlan read a paper on the stages of Oniscigaster Wakefleldi fi-om 

 New Zealand, in amplification of his remarks on the insect at the meeting of the 

 Entomological Society on March 2nd (see ante p. 260). 



Entomological Society of London, IGth March, 187-1'.— Sir S. S. Safndehs, 

 President, in the Chair. 



Mr. E. Saunders exhibited a collection of BuprestidcB, chiefly from tlie Philippine 

 Islands (Semper), and read descriptions of the new species. A most important fact 

 in connection with local variation was apparently made evident by the specimens 

 he exhibited, inasmuch as a large number of individuals (all considered by Mr. 

 Saundei-s to be of the same species) from different localities in the Philippines and 

 Moluccas, presented great discrepancies in size, and, especially, in colour. 



Prof. Wcstwood communicated a paper on new LucanidcB from Major Parry's 

 collection. 



A letter was read from Dr. Sharp, in reply to certain criticisms by Prof. 

 Westwood in his Presidential Address at the last Anniversary. 



