302 M. BONNIER'S VIEWS. 



exactly the same, only putting vermilion in place of 

 the green. 



At 7.55 she returned to the green. I then did ex- 

 actly the same, only putting white in place of green. 



At 8. 3 she returned to the green. 



These observations clearly show that bees possess 

 the power of distinguishing colours. 



It remained to determine, if possible, whether 

 they have any preference for one colour over another. 

 M. Bonnier in a recent memoir' denies this. He 

 does not question the power of inseg^ts to distinguish 

 colours, which he admits that the preceding observa- 

 tions clearly prove, but he maintains that they would 

 not be in any way attracted or guided by the colours 

 of flowers. This he has attempted to demonstrate by 

 experiment. With this view he proceeded as follows : 

 — He took four cubes, 22 centim. by 12 (i.e. about 9 

 inches by 3^), and coloured red, green, yellow, and white, 

 placing them 6 feet apart in a line parallel to and about 

 60 feet distant from the hives. He then placed on 

 each an equal quantity of honey, and from minute 

 to minute counted the number of bees on each cube. 

 He found that the number of bees on each was approx- 

 imately equal, and that the honey was removed from 

 each in about twenty minutes. In the experiment he 

 records the bees began to arrive directly the honey 

 was arranged, and in ten minutes there were nearly a 

 hundred bees on each cube. I presume, therefore, that 



' Les Nectaires. 



