THE SENSES OF BEES. 



Much uncertainty has prevailed on the subject 01 

 the senses possessed by this insect, not so much, per- 

 haps, in regard to their existence as to the locality of 

 the organs. Most naturalists admit their possession 

 of five senses, analogous to those of man, though the 

 celebrated Huber seems to have some doubt as to the 

 existence of the faculty of hearing in Bees, at least 

 without some important modifications. Greater diver- 

 sity of opinion, however, prevails as to the situation 

 of those organs by which the impressions of sight, 

 touch, taste, sound, and smell are produced on their 

 sensations ; and many curious experiments by diffe- 

 rent naturalists have been made with a view to ascer- 

 tain the truth, but which have not always led to the 

 same results. In researches so minute, it is, perhaps, 

 vain to look for perfect accuracy in our conclusions, 

 and we must be satisfied with any thing like a reason- 

 able approximation to the truth. 



Sight. In our remarks on the anatomical structure 

 of the head of the Bee, we observed, that, besides the 

 large reticulated eyes placed, as in other animals, on 

 the sides of the head, this insect possessed three stem- 



