The Foundation of the City 



proof of his theory, Sir John cites as an 

 instance an experiment within the reach of 

 all. If you place in a bottle half a dozen 

 bees and the same number of flies, and 

 lay the bottle down horizontally, with its 

 base to the window, you will find that the 

 bees will persist, till they die of exhaustion 

 or hunger, in their endeavour to discover 

 an issue through the glass ; while the 

 flies, in less than two minutes, Avill all 

 have sallied forth through the neck on 

 the opposite side. From this Sir John 

 Lubbock concludes that the intelligence 

 of the bee is exceedingly limited, and that 

 the fly shows far greater skill in extricat- 

 ing itself from a difficulty, and finding its 

 way. This conclusion, however, would 

 not seem altogether flawless. Turn the 

 transparent sphere twenty times, if you 

 will, holding now the base, now the neck, 

 to the window, and you will find that the 

 bees will turn twenty times with it, so as 

 lo 145 



