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CHAPTER IX. 



ON BEES AND COLOES. 



In my book on " Ants, Bees, and Wasps," * I have 

 recorded a number of observations which seemed to 

 me to prove that bees possess the power of distinguish- 

 ing colors — a power implied, of course, in the now 

 generally accepted views as to the origin of the colors 

 of flowers, but which had not up to that time been 

 proved by direct experiment. 



Amongst other experiments, I brought a bee to some 

 honey which I placed on a slip of glass laid on blue 

 paper, and about three feet off I placed a similar drop 

 of honey on orange paper. With a drop of honey before 

 her a bee takes two or three minutes to fill herself, then 

 flies away, stores up the honey, and returns for more. 

 My hives were about two hundred yards from the 

 window, and the bees were absent about three minutes, 

 or even less; when working quietly they fly very quickl}^, 

 and the actual journeys to and fro did not take more 

 than a few seconds. After the bee had returned twice, I 

 transposed the papers ; but she returned to the honey 

 on the blue paper. I allowed her to continue this for 

 some time, and then again transposed the papers. Slie 



* " Ants, Bees, and Wasps," International Scientific Series. Kegan 

 Paul, Trench & Co. 



