HEARING, TASTE, AND SMELLING. 105 



but was due to some alteration in him, was shown by 

 the fact that he was never again able to resume his 

 old familiarity with his favourites. Some change in 

 his blood, brought about by the fever, made the 

 emanations from his skin permanently offensive to 

 the bees, though no such difference was perceptible 

 to any of his human friends. 



M. Feburier and other observers assert that a 

 certain antipathy is manifested towards persons with 

 red or black hair. We have reason to doubt the 

 correctness of their opinion as to the latter class, 

 and we more strongly incline to think that fair-com- 

 plexioned people are less agreeable to bees than 

 those who are darker. As a corroboration of this, 

 we may mention the case of two brothers, one of 

 whom could always approach the hives with impunity, 

 while the other could not come near them without 

 danger of being stung. Though both of them were 

 dark, the obnoxious one was decidedly the fairer. 



A further evidence of their sense of smell is the 

 anger they manifest on the crushing of one of their 

 number. Like the terror inspired into an ox by the 

 smell of freshly-drawn blood in the slaughter-house, 

 is the odour of a bruised comrade to bees. Again, 

 the smell of the liquid from one of their poison bags 

 excites them strongly. A wound just made by a 

 sting rouses others to inflict more wounds ; and, if the 

 fluid be presented to them at the entrance of their 

 homes, it at once stirs their fury. If, however, it be 

 allowed to crystallise, and thus to become incapable 

 of emitting any odour, it will be quite disregarded by 

 the bees. Sir John Lubbock tried various experi- 

 ments with eau-de-Cologne and rose-water, and found 



