BEAUTY OF THE EYES. 355 



site, may arise from their eyes becoming perhaps 

 in part obscured by the pollen, or yellow powder 

 of the flowers into which they plunge, the bee 

 thereby becoming partly blind-folded. These 

 experiments are so interesting that they deserve 

 repeating, and it might be tried whether the result 

 would be different if only one eye were blinded. 

 Other variations of the experiments will also 

 suggest themselves. 



Although not organs of sufficient size to give 

 their colouring the requisite distinctness and 

 amount of surface which would render it very 

 conspicuous in our estimation, the eyes of insects 

 are often exquisitely beautiful, and vie almost with 

 precious stones in lustre. Their most common 

 colour is black, or brown ; but the eyes of many 

 flies glow with fiery colours, some banded with 

 green and purple, some variously figured black 

 and red. Some again glitter like burnished gold 

 shaded with the softest green ; and some blaze 

 with a play of colours, like the diamond set in jet. 

 The eye of the dragon-fly, in particular, is a lus- 

 trous crystalline object of extreme beauty. 



We have dwelt as long as our limits will permit 

 on this wonderful apparatus of vision in insects : 



