THE HONEY-BEE. 59 



may wish to repeat this experiment, we would 

 recommend that they previously deprive the bee under 

 operation of a portion of its sting, which may be easily 

 done by forcing the insect to extrude it, and then 

 snipping it off about the middle with a pair of scissors ; 

 the excision will not vitally injure the insect, and 

 will give confidence to the experimenter. 



We cannot conclude this disquisition on the sense 

 of smell in Bees, without gratifying our readers by 

 extracting from Dr. Sevan's work, a remarkable in- 

 stance of its acuteness and delicacy ; and which had 

 been communicated to him, by the son of the gentle- 

 man who is the subject of it. It is generally believed 

 that bees have an antipathy to particular individuals, 

 arising, probably from some peculiar odour about 

 them, which, though not discernible by, or unpleasant 

 to man, may be so to this sensitive insect. ' ' M. de 

 Hofer, Conseilleur d' Etat du Grand Due de Baden, 

 had for years been a proprietor and admirer of Bees, 

 and rivalled Wildman, in the power he possessed of 

 approaching them with impunity. He would at any 

 time search for the queen, and taking hold of her 

 gently, place her on his hand. But he was unfor- 

 tunately attacked with a violent fever, and long con- 

 fined by it. On his recovery, he attempted to resume 

 his favourite amusement among the Bees, returning 

 to them with all that confidence and pleasure which 

 he had felt on former occasions ; when, to m's great 

 surprise and disappointment, he discovered that he 

 was no longer in possession of their favour; and 

 that instead of being received by them as an old 



