Reflections upon Insect Psychology 



But, once the provisioning begins, the cup 

 is finished for good and all; and, come what 

 may, the insect will not touch it again. The 

 harvester will go on harvesting, though the 

 pollen trickle to the ground through the drain. 

 To plug the hole would imply a change of 

 occupation of which the insect is incapable for 

 the moment. It is the honey's turn and not 

 the mortar's. The rule upon this point is in- 

 variable. A moment comes, presently, when, 

 the harvesting is interrupted and the building 

 resumed. The edifice must be raised a storey 

 higher. Will the Bee, once more a mason, 

 mixing fresh cement, now attend to the leak- 

 age at the bottom? No more than before. 

 What occupies her at present is the new floor, 

 whose brickwork would be repaired at once 

 if it sustained a damage; but the bottom 

 storey is too old a part of the business, it is 

 ancient history; and the worker will not put 

 a further touch to it, even though it be in 

 serious danger. 



For the rest, the present and the following 

 storeys will all have the same fate. Carefully 

 watched by the insect as long as they are in 

 process of building, they are forgotten and 

 allowed to go to ruin once they are actually 

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