274 



CHAPTER X, 



BEES. 



I ORIGINALLY iu tended to make my experiment prin- 

 cipally with bees, but soon found that ants were on the 

 whole more suitable for my purpose. 



In the first place, ants are much less excitable, they 

 are less liable to accidents, and from the absence of 

 wings are more easy to keep under continuous obser- 

 vation. 



Still, I have made a certain number of observations 

 with bees, some of which may be worth here recording. 



As already mentioned, the current statements with 

 reference to the language of social insects depend much 

 on the fact that when one of them, either by accident or 

 in the course of its rambles, has discovered a stock of 

 food, in a very short time many others arrive to profit 

 by the discovery. This, however, does not necessarily 

 imply any power of describing localities. If the bees 

 or ants merely follow their more fortunate comrade, 

 the matter is comparatively simple ; if, on the con- 

 trary, others are sent, the case becomes very difierent. 



In order to test this I proposed to keep honey in a 

 given place for some time, in order to satisfy myself 



