NATURE NOTES 235 



NATURE NOTES 



[Editorial Note. — As shown by our " Guide to Periodical Literature," 

 many interesting articles on the natural history of plants and animals ap- 

 pear in various popular and scientific magazines. Probably few readers 

 of this magazine are able to read even one-half of the articles whose titles 

 are attractive. In order to make the most interesting facts available to 

 busy teachers, The Nature-Study Review will undertake to publish, as a 

 regular department, brief abstracts of many articles on natural history and 

 science. Readers are invited to help with this department by suggesting 

 articles deserving notes, or by sending abstracts ready for printing.] 



The Stupidity of Bees. A writer in a recent number of the Out- 

 look calls attention to the " ignorance or stupidity " of honey-bees, 

 citing such facts as the lack of concerted action in pulling and tug- 

 ging, and failure to cooperate in releasing comrades from spiders' 

 v^ebs; but in building comb "every one helps his neighbor in building 

 a cell," and it is v^ell known that there is plenty of concerted action 

 in defending the hive against intruders. As another example of 

 " stupidity " the author cites the fact that the bees " do not know 

 enough " to stay in the hive on cold but sunshiny days and thousands 

 venture out and perish. 



All students of the bees will certainly not agree that the above 

 facts indicate " stupidity." Entanglement in a spider's web is a rare 

 accident, not a regular event, in the life of bees, and one fails to see 

 how an instinct leading to united efTort in attempted release of an 

 entangled companion could be of any advantage in a colony of 50,000 

 individuals. The instinct to go about their routine business, leaving 

 the entangled individual to its fate, certainly is most valuable so far 

 as the community as a whole is concerned. Not so in building comb 

 and defending the hive. Here are events upon which depend the fate 

 of the colony, not simply of a few individuals, and instincts have been 

 developed accordingly. And so with regard to every other act which 

 is important for the colony as a whole we find instincts which have 

 led writers to comment on the " marvellous intelligence " of bees. 

 The facts which suggest " stupidity " really go to prove that bees are 

 machines, rather than intelligent organisms, and that the machines 

 are " wound up " with instincts which cause them to run for the good 

 of the community, perhaps neglecting the individual. A modern 

 psychologist of the Lloyd Morgan school would deny that bees are 

 " stupid," for this implies intelligence, which insects apparently do 

 not possess. 



With regard to flying out in mid-winter, it seems probably that this 

 is due to abnormal conditions. It is well known that bees kept in 

 cellars in winter often get restless owing to the over-loading of the 

 intestine during the long confinement and a " cleansing flight " on a 



