﻿MIND 
  OF 
  AN 
  INSECT— 
  SNODGRASS 
  415 
  

  

  bottle 
  for 
  identification 
  marks, 
  but 
  it 
  took 
  her 
  2 
  minutes 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  

   small 
  aperture 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  cover. 
  The 
  first 
  bee 
  that 
  flew 
  

   from 
  another 
  of 
  Rau's 
  nests 
  came 
  out 
  in 
  angry 
  haste, 
  took 
  no 
  note 
  of 
  

   her 
  surroundings 
  and 
  failed 
  completely 
  in 
  later 
  efforts 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  

   nest 
  she 
  had 
  left. 
  But 
  all 
  bees 
  coming 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  

   peaceful 
  state 
  of 
  mind, 
  Rau 
  says, 
  fly 
  deliberately 
  about 
  the 
  pot 
  and 
  

   its 
  environs 
  in 
  ever-enlarging 
  circles 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  minutes 
  

   before 
  they 
  venture 
  away. 
  Experienced 
  travelers, 
  however, 
  " 
  already 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  surroundings, 
  dash 
  off 
  with 
  a 
  whiz 
  direct 
  to 
  the 
  

   foraging 
  field." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  bees 
  must 
  learn 
  the 
  outlying 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  

   over 
  which 
  they 
  travel 
  in 
  their 
  search 
  for 
  food. 
  If 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  an 
  area 
  familiar 
  to 
  them, 
  they 
  are 
  lost 
  or 
  are 
  

   able 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  tardy 
  home 
  return 
  only 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  found 
  their 
  

   way 
  by 
  chance 
  or 
  by 
  random 
  flights 
  into 
  known 
  territory. 
  Of 
  this, 
  

   again, 
  we 
  find 
  convincing 
  evidence 
  in 
  Rau's 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  bum- 
  

   blebees 
  of 
  his 
  roof 
  apiary. 
  In 
  seven 
  experiments 
  Rau 
  tested 
  the 
  

   ability 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  nests 
  after 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  

   cages 
  wrapped 
  in 
  paper 
  to 
  varying 
  distances 
  in 
  neighboring 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  city. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  experiment, 
  10 
  bees 
  were 
  marked 
  with 
  a 
  spot 
  

   of 
  white 
  and 
  taken 
  1^ 
  miles 
  east. 
  Only 
  1 
  returned, 
  and 
  this 
  1 
  not 
  

   until 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  day. 
  Next, 
  9 
  bees 
  marked 
  with 
  red 
  

   were 
  liberated 
  a 
  half 
  mile 
  east. 
  Three 
  returned 
  the 
  same 
  day, 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  trip 
  in 
  12, 
  47, 
  and 
  225 
  minutes, 
  respectively. 
  In 
  a 
  third 
  

   experiment, 
  9 
  bees 
  marked 
  yellow 
  were 
  set 
  at 
  large 
  li^ 
  miles 
  east 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  point 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  lot. 
  None 
  returned. 
  Again, 
  6 
  bees 
  

   marked 
  with 
  blue 
  were 
  taken 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  Only 
  1 
  

   returned, 
  after 
  Qy^ 
  hours. 
  In 
  a 
  fifth 
  experiment, 
  13 
  bees, 
  including 
  

   6 
  that 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  before, 
  were 
  taken 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  

   east. 
  Only 
  2 
  returned, 
  both 
  experienced 
  foragers. 
  The 
  bees 
  in 
  these 
  

   experiments 
  were 
  liberated 
  in 
  a 
  park 
  which 
  was 
  presumably 
  their 
  

   regular 
  visiting 
  place. 
  Fourteen 
  bees 
  were 
  now 
  taken 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  

   a 
  mile 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  past 
  houses 
  and 
  several 
  acres 
  of 
  piled 
  clay 
  drain 
  

   pipes, 
  a 
  territory 
  unlikely 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  bees, 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  14 
  only 
  3 
  returned. 
  Finally, 
  the 
  3 
  successful 
  bees 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  experiment 
  were 
  liberated 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  northwest 
  in 
  

   a 
  territory 
  offering 
  no 
  foraging 
  inducements. 
  But 
  1 
  of 
  these 
  

   returned, 
  and 
  after 
  an 
  absence 
  of 
  25 
  hours. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  foregoing 
  experiments, 
  in 
  only 
  11 
  cases 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  possible 
  67 
  

   did 
  the 
  bees 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  these 
  11 
  were 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  only 
  after 
  varying 
  lengths 
  of 
  time, 
  probably, 
  as 
  Rau 
  sug- 
  

   gests, 
  owing 
  to 
  varying 
  luck 
  in 
  the 
  trial 
  and 
  error 
  method. 
  The 
  dif- 
  

   ference 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  returning, 
  Rau 
  says 
  — 
  

  

  does 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  here, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  cases, 
  that 
  the 
  creatures 
  

   find 
  their 
  way 
  home 
  by 
  an 
  unknown 
  sixth 
  sense 
  or 
  by 
  magic, 
  for 
  if 
  they 
  did 
  

   so 
  act, 
  all 
  would 
  return 
  at 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  