522 INSTINCT OF INSECTS. 



But the most striking fact evincing the memory of 

 these last-mentioned insects has been communicated to 

 me by my intelligent friend Mr. William Stickney, of 

 Ridgemont, Holderness. * About twenty years ago, a 

 swarm from one of this gentleman's hives took posses- 

 sion of an opening beneath the tiles of his house, whence, 

 after remaining a few hours, they were dislodged and 

 hived. For many subsequent years, when the hives de- 

 scended from this stock were about to swarm, a consi- 

 derable party of scouts were observed for a few days be- 

 fore to be reconnoitring about the old hole under the 

 tiles; and Mr. Stickney is persuaded, that if suffered 

 they would have established themselves there. He is 

 certain that for eight years successively the descendants 

 of the very stock that first took possession of the hole 

 frequented it as above stated, and not those of any other 

 swarms ; having constantly noticed them, and ascertained 

 that they were bees from the original hive by powdering 

 them while about the tiles with yellow ochre, and watch- 

 ing their return. And even at the present time there 

 are still seen every swarming season about the tiles, bees, 

 which Mr. Stickney has no doubt are descendants from 

 the original stock. 



Had Dr. Darwin been acquainted with this fact, he 

 would have adduced it as proving that insects can con- 

 vey traditionary information from one generation to 

 another; and at the first glance the circumstance of 

 the descendants of the same stock retaining a know- 

 ledge of the same fact for twenty years, during which 

 period there must have been as many generations of 

 bees, would seem to warrant the inference. But as it is 

 more probable that the party of surveying scouts of the 



