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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



ence, that one kind of food will produce 

 one effect, and another kind another? 



There is a remarkable difference in 

 the mental traits of queens and workers. 

 The queen knows that it is not well to 

 lay eggs when there are not workers 

 enough to feed and care for them. This 

 is a most rensoimhle procedure, and one 

 which human beings might study to 

 advantage. 



She is also aware of the fact that it is 

 not well to have too large a number of 

 drones, who eat honey and do no work, 

 and so she produces them at will — by 

 laying unfructified eggs to the extent to 

 which drones may be required, and no 

 more. 



That bees reflect and adapt their 

 conduct to their requirements is, it seems 

 to me, evident from the fact that when 

 carried to countries where they find 

 supplies of food all the year round, they 

 cease to store it up. They do not do 

 this immediately, but only after they 

 have learned that it is unnecessary. 



In Australia, where food is abundant 

 most of the year, in order to have honey 

 it is necessary to import new queens 

 that will produce workers which have 

 not had experience in that country. And 

 If they cease to store up honey when 

 experience tells them it is not needed, is 

 not the opposite true that when they do 

 store it up in those climates that have 

 long Winters, they do it consciously, 

 and with a full knowledge of the need 

 they will have for it? 



Again, why do bees pursue and sting 

 one who robs them of their honey, if 

 they do not know its value ? 



It has been stated on very good au- 

 thority that the Italian bees will some- 

 times attack in mass a man who has 

 robbed their hive, days after the occur- 

 rence, as if to destroy him. 



And this brings up the fact that they 

 have a very good knowledge of human 

 nature, and know their friends from 

 their enemies, if not perfectly, reason- 

 ably well. 



In placing comb in new and difficult 

 places, they show a diversity of practical 

 engineering talent which entitles them 

 to much credit. 



Another instance of the intellect of 

 bees is shown by the fact that when in 

 hot weather they find their hives illy 

 supplied with air, of which they require 

 much on account of their great activity, 

 they station a number at the entrance 

 to the hive who use their wings vigor- 

 ously, driving a considerable current 

 within. To be able to remain in their 

 places, they seal their feet to the floor. 



otherwise they would fly away, so active 

 are their movements. 



I might mention other facts, but these 

 are sufficient for my purpose. I know 

 that many, even naturalists, will say 

 that all these acts are purely instinctive, 

 and not the result of reflection or reason. 



Let us look into the matter a little 

 more closely. What is instina ? Dr. 

 Eeid defines it as "a blind impulse to 

 certain actions, without having any end 

 in view, without deliberation, and often 

 without any conception of what we do." 



In other words, instinct is the power 

 of acting without reflection, but in a 

 manner so as to achieve an end, the 

 same as if reason and intelligence had 

 been used, and always in response to 

 some internal stimuli, depending on 

 some necessity requiring such action. 



Instincts are always inherited. They 

 are the results of the experience of an- 

 cestors for so long a time as may be 

 required to organize them into the 

 structure of the nervous system, so that 

 they become a part of its property. In* 

 order that any act may become instinct- 

 ive, it must be performed in every way 

 many times, so that it "does itself." 



When a new act comes up that has 

 never been performed before, or per- 

 formed only a few times, then it seems 

 to me reason and reflection are required. 

 After a while the act may become partiy 

 instinctive and partly the result of 

 reason, for some instincts are imperfect, 



Now, I shall refer to only one of the 

 acts mentioned above, that of building 

 a comb of a particular form to fit into a 

 place such as in all probability the bee 

 or its ancestors could never have had to 

 do before. The building of the comb 

 would be easy, but to get the right form 

 and size it would be necessary to think, 

 to reflect, and to distinguish between 

 the right way and the wrong one. This 

 would be an act of reason, of delibera- 

 tion. It may be said that there is not 

 sufficient brain substance in the bee to 

 allow of such complicated mental oper- 

 ations. 



I think this is begging the question. 

 How do we know this ? Who has given 

 us any right to make such a statement ? 

 Is it not a bit of egotism in man to claim 

 that he alone thinks, plans, reflects, and 

 adapts means to ends? Man is fairly 

 well adapted to his realm, the bee, the 

 beaver, and every animal to theirs, and 

 all when necessary have the power to 

 think, to deliberate, and to keep their 

 plans long enough in their minds to 

 execute them, or to change them if 

 need be; also to see the difference be- 

 tween one plan and another, to compare 



