COLOR IN PLANTS 



161 



The order of preference here indicated is, we see, be- 

 ginning with the most favored, blue, white, yellow, green, 

 orange, red, and the plain glass. A much larger number 

 of experiments by the same method gave the following 

 figures: blue 275, white 349, yellow 405, red 413, green 

 427, orange 440, plain glass 491. We may say, then, that 

 bees show a strong preference for blue, that they like 

 white next, and that yellow, red, green, and orange are 

 about equally attractive, and are all preferred to uncolored 

 objects. 



Other experiments by Lord Avebury show that wasps 

 have a decided color sense and are able to distinguish 

 vermilion, orange, blue, white, yellow, and green, but that 

 they do not show a very decided color preference. Similar 

 results have also been obtained by Dr. and Mrs. Peckham. 

 Experiments upon most other insects are more difficult 

 to perform, for they do not have nests in which they live 

 together and to which they return after each hunting trip, 

 or in which they store honey, returning time after time to 



