THE SENSE OF HEARING. 221 



must present to them a very different appearance from 

 what it does to us. 



The Sense of Hearing. 



Many eminent observers have regarded the antennae 

 of insects as auditory organs, and have brought forward 

 strong evidence in favour of their view. 



I have myself made experiments on grasshoppers, 

 which convinced me that their antennae serve as organs 

 cf hearing. 



So far, however, as Ants, Bees, and Wasps are con- 

 cerned, the evidence is very conflicting. The power of 

 hearing has indeed generally been attributed to them. 

 Thus St. Fargeau, in his ' Hist. Nat. des Hymenopteres,' ' 

 thinks there can be no doubt on the subject. Be van 

 expresses, no doubt, the general opinion with reference 

 to Bees, when he says that " there is good evidence that 

 Bees have a quick sense of hearing.' ^ 



As regards Wasps, Ormerod, who studied them 

 so lovingly, came to the same conclusion.^ 



On the other hand, both Huber'' and Forel ^ state 

 that ants are quite deaf. As I have already men- 

 tioned in the 'Linnaean Journal ' (vols. xii. and xiii.), 

 I have never succeeded in satisfying myself that my 

 ants, bees, or wasps heard any of the sounds with 



> Vol. i. p. 113. ■ The Honey Bee, p. 261. 



» Nat. Hist, of Wasps, p 72. ■• Nat. Hist, of Ants. 



* Fourmis de la Suiifse, p. 121. 



