8 THE HUMBLE-BEE 



the red clover now yields a plentiful crop of seed. 

 Unfortunately, B. terrestris has a trick of biting 

 holes in such flowers as the broad-bean, snapdragon, 

 and foxglove, close to the honey-glands, to abstract 

 the honey. This, in New Zealand, has resulted in 

 damage to the seed-vessels of certain flowers, and 

 the seed-growers there would now be glad to have 

 this species supplanted by another. 



The world, which to us consists of sights and 

 sounds, to the humble-bees is made up mainly of 

 scents. I can find no evidence that they hear any- 

 thing at all. It is true they can see near objects, 

 and are expert at distinguishing flowers by their 

 colours ; but darkness prevails inside the nest, and 

 here everything is perceived, so far as one can tell, 

 by the senses of smell and touch, both of which are 

 conveyed through the antennae, these organs being 

 in constant motion, investigating any object to 

 which attention is being paid, whether it be honey, 

 pollen, brood, comrade, or nest material. It cannot 

 be doubted that these and many other things that 

 have little or no smell to us are recognised by their 

 different odours. Humble-bees can readily dis- 

 tinguish the smell of their own species and that of 

 other species with which their lives are connected 

 in places that have been frequented by them, and 

 B. terrestris is almost as quick as the honey-bee to 

 discover honey or syrup. They resent, with angry 

 buzzing, the least whiff of human breath in their 

 nest, so the observer should breathe through a 

 corner of his mouth, a habit easily acquired. Yet, 



