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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  " 
  homing 
  instinct 
  " 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  limitations 
  as 
  common 
  

   sense. 
  Experimenters 
  have 
  often 
  shown 
  more 
  zeal 
  for 
  proving 
  the 
  

   existence 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  instinct 
  than 
  for 
  critically 
  examining 
  the 
  value 
  

   of 
  their 
  own 
  observations. 
  Thus 
  Fabre 
  was 
  more 
  impressed 
  by 
  the 
  

   return 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  mason 
  bees 
  to 
  their 
  nests 
  when 
  carried 
  blindfolded 
  

   2 
  or 
  3 
  miles 
  away 
  than 
  he 
  was 
  by 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  number 
  

   and 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  reasons 
  to 
  explain 
  why 
  their 
  " 
  instinct 
  " 
  

   worked 
  better 
  at 
  shorter 
  distances. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  established 
  beyond 
  doubt 
  that 
  homing 
  insects 
  find 
  their 
  

   way 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  hives, 
  nests, 
  or 
  burrows 
  by 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  objects 
  

   with 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  become 
  familiar. 
  Fabre's 
  bees 
  simply 
  had 
  a 
  

   wider 
  geograx^hical 
  experience 
  than 
  he 
  accredited 
  them 
  with 
  having. 
  

   The 
  first 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  honeybees 
  that 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  ventured 
  

   afield, 
  when 
  they 
  join 
  the 
  ranks 
  of 
  the 
  nectar 
  and 
  pollen 
  gatherers, 
  is 
  

   to 
  acquaint 
  themselves 
  with 
  the 
  landmarks 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  

   their 
  hive 
  and 
  apiary. 
  This 
  they 
  do 
  by 
  many 
  circling 
  flights 
  of 
  

   observation, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  fixed 
  in 
  their 
  memories 
  

   the 
  lay 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  that 
  they 
  undertake 
  alone 
  more 
  distant 
  excursions. 
  

   The 
  " 
  bee 
  line 
  " 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  hive 
  is 
  then 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  open-eyed 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  and 
  not 
  of 
  blind 
  instinct. 
  The 
  return 
  of 
  insects 
  to 
  their 
  homes 
  

   gives 
  the 
  best 
  evidence 
  of 
  intelligence 
  in 
  insects. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  conclusive 
  and 
  interesting 
  experiments 
  on 
  the 
  

   homing 
  methods 
  of 
  bees 
  are 
  those 
  made 
  by 
  Rau 
  on 
  bumblebees 
  of 
  

   the 
  genus 
  BreTnus 
  {Bomhus). 
  Rau 
  transferred 
  three 
  field 
  nests 
  of 
  

   bumblebees 
  to 
  cans 
  and 
  flower 
  pots 
  and 
  took 
  them 
  to 
  his 
  house 
  in 
  St. 
  

   Louis. 
  After 
  two 
  days' 
  feeding 
  on 
  honey, 
  one 
  colony, 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  

   flower 
  pot 
  with 
  a 
  glass 
  cover, 
  was 
  set 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  

   story, 
  20 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  where 
  the 
  bees 
  could 
  be 
  observed 
  

   from 
  a 
  third-story 
  window. 
  On 
  all 
  sides 
  was 
  the 
  sight, 
  unfamiliar 
  to 
  

   the 
  bumblebees, 
  of 
  other 
  house 
  roofs 
  like 
  the 
  one 
  on 
  which 
  their 
  nest 
  

   was 
  placed. 
  In 
  10 
  minutes 
  after 
  the 
  cover 
  of 
  the 
  pot 
  was 
  moved 
  

   back 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  exit 
  a 
  bee 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  opening, 
  but, 
  quoting 
  

   E-au's 
  account: 
  

  

  She 
  did 
  not 
  fly 
  away 
  immediately; 
  she 
  spent 
  two 
  minutes 
  flying 
  about 
  the 
  

   pot 
  in 
  zigzags, 
  figure 
  eights, 
  and 
  esses, 
  and 
  then 
  repeated 
  the 
  same 
  designs 
  in 
  

   larger 
  flights 
  around 
  the 
  region, 
  often 
  circling 
  back 
  past 
  the 
  pot 
  in 
  her 
  flight. 
  

   After 
  four 
  minutes 
  of 
  this 
  wider 
  flight 
  she 
  soared 
  high 
  and 
  flew 
  over 
  the 
  third 
  

   story 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  However, 
  she 
  did 
  not 
  dash 
  away 
  to 
  the 
  

   park 
  across 
  the 
  street, 
  but 
  spent 
  some 
  minutes 
  in 
  getting 
  her 
  landmarks 
  about 
  

   this 
  new 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  also, 
  and 
  even 
  after 
  I 
  thought 
  she 
  had 
  gone 
  she 
  

   reapi^eared 
  and 
  once 
  more 
  circled 
  about 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  precision 
  of 
  her 
  flight 
  

   of 
  orientation 
  is 
  well 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  ; 
  first, 
  she 
  spent 
  two 
  minutes 
  very 
  near 
  

   the 
  nest, 
  then 
  four 
  minutes 
  in 
  wider 
  flight 
  about 
  the 
  roof, 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes 
  exploring 
  the 
  larger 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  and 
  apparently 
  getting 
  them 
  

   linked 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  her 
  new 
  home. 
  

  

  After 
  an 
  absence 
  of 
  10 
  minutes 
  the 
  bee 
  reappeared 
  and 
  flew 
  direct 
  

   to 
  the 
  nest, 
  beside 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  placed 
  a 
  red 
  brick 
  and 
  a 
  milk 
  

  

  