234 THE WONDER OF LIFE 



taken on a boat to a distance of three kilometres on the 

 lake. When liberated, they flew off in all directions, but 

 none returned. This suggests that the bees build up a 

 knowledge of the country round about them. 



Bouvier concealed the entrance to the nest of a Bembex 

 with a stone. This appeared to disturb the insect a little, 

 but it lighted on the stone. When the stone was shifted, 

 during the insect's absence, for about eight inches, the 

 creature returned to the stone. It appeared to have fixed 

 the stone in its memory. Further experiments go to 

 show that bees and similar insects serve an apprenticeship, 

 that they have a remarkable topographical memory, and 

 that they begin by, so to speak, feeling their way from 

 finger-post to finger-post. The Peckhams speak of the 

 ' systematic study of the surroundings,' and others have 

 described the trial flight of bees when they first leave the 

 hive. Buttel-Reepen has shown that bees removed from the 

 hive before they have had this ' orientation flight ' do not 

 return, and that if the hive be taken some miles off, a new 

 apprenticeship has to be served. 



There are other data, however, that go to support 

 Fabre's assumption of an ' intuition des lieux '. Thus 

 Gaston Bonnier observed that bees returned straight to 

 the hive making a bee-line, in fact from a distance 

 of as much as three kilometres. When they were carried 

 afield in a box and then liberated, they made for the hive, 

 which was quite invisible behind a wood. When their 

 eyes were obscured with blackened collodion, they still 

 found their way, which shows that vision is not necessary. 

 The removal of the antennae, which bear the so-called 

 olfactory organs, did not prevent their return. These 

 facts support the view that bees have a ' sense of direc- 



