PREFERENCE FOR BLUE. 



307 



and one of the last four only in 26 cases ; while, on the 

 contrary, they selected the plain as one of the first 

 three only in 25 cases, and one of the last four in 75 

 cases. 



I may add that I was by no means prepared for 

 this result. Miiller, in his remarkable volume on 

 Alpine Flowers, states that bees are much more attracted 

 by yellow than by white.' In the same work he gives 

 the following table : — 



This table does not indeed show any absolute pre- 

 ference for one colour rather than another. In the 

 first place, the number of species compared is very 

 different in the case of the different colours ; and in 



' Aljfcnblumen, p. 487. 



