BEES AND WASPS— MEMORY. 153 



In this respect they certainly differ considerably. Some of 

 the bees which came ont of the little postern door (already de- 

 scribed) were able to find their way back after it had been shown 

 to them a few times. Others were much more stupid ; thus one 

 bee came out on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 

 17th, 18th, and 19th, and came to the honey; but though I 

 repeatedly put her back through the postern, she was never 

 able to find her way for herself. 



I often found that if bees which were brought to honey did 

 not return at once, still they would do so a day or two after- 

 wards.« For instance, on July 11, 1874, a hot thundery day, 

 and when the bees were much out of humour, I brought 

 twelve bees to some honey ; only one came back, and that one 

 only twice ; but on the following day several of them returned. 



This latter observation is important, as proving that 

 bees can remember for at least a whole day the locality 

 where they have found honey only once before, and that 

 they so far think about their past experiences as to return 

 to that locality when foraging. 



As the association of ideas by contiguity is the prin- 

 ciple which forms the basis of all psychology, it is de- 

 sirable to consider still more attentively this the earliest 

 manifestation that we have of it in the memory of the 

 Hymenoptera. That it is not exercised with exclusive 

 reference to locality is proved by the following observation 

 of Sir John Lubbock : — 



I kept a specimen of Polistes Gallica for no less than nine 

 months. * ... I had no difficulty in inducing her to feed on 

 my hand ; but at first she was shy and nervous. She kept her 

 sting in constant readiness. . . . Gradually she became quite 

 used to me, and when I took her on my hand apparently ex- 

 pected to be fed. She even allowed me to stroke her without 

 any appearance of fear, and for some months I never saw her 

 sting. 



One other observation which goes to prove that other 

 things besides locality are noted and remembered by 

 bees may here be quoted. Sir John placed a bee in 

 a bell jar, the closed end of which he held towards a 

 window. The bee buzzed about at that end trying to 



' * Three montlis ' in the Journal of the Linnaean Society, but Sir 

 John Lubbock informs me that this is a misprint. 



