266 MODE OF FINDING THEIR WAY. 



they came in sight of any object known to them. The 

 second result of M. Fabre's observations is not open to 

 these remarks. He observes that the great majority 

 of his Chalicodomas at once took the direction homCi 

 He confesses, however, in the sentence I have already 

 quoted, that it is not always easy to follow bees with 

 the eye. Admitting the fact, however, it seems to me 

 far from impossible that the bees knew where they 

 were ; and, at any rate, this does not seem so improbable 

 that we should be driven to admit the existence of a 

 new sense, which we ought only to assume as a last 

 resource. 



Moreover, M. Fabre himself says, " Lorsque la rapidite 

 du vol me laisse reconnaitre la direction suivie," which 

 seems to imply a doubt. Indeed, some years previously 

 he had made a similar experiment with the same 

 species, but taking them direct to a point rather over 

 two miles (four kilometres) from the nest, and not 

 w^hirling them round his head. I looked back, there- 

 fore, to his previous work to see how these behaved, 

 and I found that he says — 



"Aussitot libres, les Ohalicodomes fuient, comme 

 effares, qui dans une direction, qui dans la direction 

 tout opposee. Autant que le permet leur vol fougueux, 

 je crois neanmoins reconnaitre un prompt retour des 

 abeilles lancees a I'oppose de leur demeure, et la niajorite 

 me semble se diriger du cote de I'horizon ou se trouve 

 le nid. Je laisse ce point avec des doutes, que rendent 

 inevitables des insectes perdus de vue a une vingtaine 

 de metres de distance." 



In this case, then, some went in one direction, some 

 in another. It certainly would be remarkable if bees 

 which were taken direct missed their way, while those 



