188 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



winter, cease to lay up honey. In contradiction to this^ 

 statement, however, Kirby and Spence say, * It is known 

 to every naturalist acquainted with the fact, that many 

 different species of bees store up honey in the hottest 

 climates, and that there is no authentic instance on record 

 of the hive-bees altering in any age or cUmate their 

 peculiar operations.' 



On the other hand, more recent observation has shown 

 that Dr. Darwin's statement is probably correct. For, 

 according to a note in Nature,^ European bees, when trans- 

 ported to Australia, retain their industrious habits only 

 for the first two or three years. After that time they 

 gradually cease to collect honey till they become wholly 

 idle. In a subsequent number of the same periodical 

 (p. 411) a correspondent writes that the same fact is 

 observable with bees transported to California, but is 

 obviated by abstracting honey as the bees collect it. 



There seems to be no doubt that bees and wasps are 

 able to distinguish between persons, and even to recog- 

 nise those whom they are accustomed to see, and to 

 regard as friends. Bee-masters who attend much to their 

 bees, so as to give the insects a good chance of knowing 

 them, are generally of the opinion that the insects do 

 know them, as shown by the comparatively sparing use of 

 their stings. Again, many instances might be quoted, 

 such as that given by Gruerinzius,^ who allowed a species 

 of wasp native to Natal to build in the doorposts of his 

 house, and who observed that although he often interfered 

 with the nest, he was only once stung, and this by a 

 young wasp ; while no Caffi-e could venture to approach 

 the door, much less to pass through it.^ This power of 

 distinguishing between persons indicates a higher order 

 of intelligence than we might have expected to meet 

 with among insects ; and, according to Bingley, bees will 

 not only learn to distinguish persons, but even lend them- 

 selves to tuition by those whom they know. For he says, 



J Vol. xvii., p. 373. 



2 See Brehm, Thierlehen, ix., p. 252. 



3 An exactly similar case is recorded by Stodmann in his Travels in 

 Surinam, ii., p. 286. 



