250 ECHOES. 



since it may become the subject of philosophical 

 or mathematical inquiries. 



One should have imagined that echoes, if not 

 entertaining, must at least have been harmless 

 and inoffensive; yet Virgil advances a strange 

 notion, that they are injurious to bees. After 

 enumerating some probable and reasonable an- 

 noyances, such as prudent owners would wish far 

 removed from their bee-gardens, he adds, 



Aut ubi concava pulsu 



Saxa sonant, vocisque offensa resultat imago." 



This wild and fanciful assertion will hardly be 

 admitted by the philosophers of these days, espe- 

 cially as they all now seem agreed that insects 

 are not furnished with any organs of hearing 

 at all. But if it should be urged, that, though 

 they cannot hear, yet perhaps they may feel the 

 repercussion of sounds, I grant it is possible they 

 may. Yet that these impressions are distasteful 

 or hurtful t deny, because bees, in good summers, 

 thrive well in my outlet, where the echoes are 

 very strong ; for this village is another Anathoth, 

 a place of responses, or echoes. Besides, it does 

 not appear from experiment that bees are in any 

 way capable of being affected by sounds : for I 

 have often tried my own with a large speaking- 

 trumpet held close to their hives, and with such 

 an exertion of voice as would have hailed a ship 

 at the distance of a mile, and still these insects 

 pursued their various employments undisturbed, 

 and without showing the least sensibility or re- 

 sentment. 



Some time since its discovery this echo is 

 become totally silent, though the object or hop- 

 kiln remains : nor is there any mystery in this 

 defect, for the field between is planted as an 



