The Mason-bees 



need not take Into consideration. The bend 

 described cannot have helped them to find 

 their way home ; but it has also certainly not 

 hampered them. 



There is no need of further proof. The in- 

 tricate movements of a rotation such as I have 

 described; the obstacle of hills and woods; 

 the pitfalls of a road which moves on, moves 

 back and returns after making a wide circuit: 

 none of these is able to disconcert the Chali- 

 codomse or prevent them from going back 

 to the nest. 



I had written to Charles Darwin telling 

 him of my first, negative results, those ob- 

 tained by swinging the Bees round in a box. 

 He expected a success and was much surprised 

 at the failure. Had he had time to experi- 

 ment with his pigeons, they would have be- 

 haved just like my Bees; the preliminary 

 twirling .would not have affected them. The 

 problem called for another method; and what 

 he proposed was this: 



"To place the Insect within an Induction- 

 coil, so as to disturb any magnetic or dlamag- 

 netic sensibility which It seems just possible 

 that they may possess." 



