The Homing of the Hymenoptera 41 



westward a short distance and then resume its eastward 

 progress. On reaching the brick before which the nest 

 was located, it would drop immediately into the burrow. 

 After remaining in the burrow a few minutes, the bee 

 would depart, without stopping to explore the surround- 

 ings. Several trips were observed carefully and, in each 

 case, the behavior was essentially the same. In its flight, 

 neither the orientation of its body, nor the direction of 

 its movements, bore any constant relation either to the 

 direction of the wind or to the rays of the sun.'* 



While the bee was afield a hole of the same diameter as 

 the burrow was made in front of bricks W, and E, ; and 

 the bottle top was placed adjacent to the hole made be- 

 fore brick W,. Presently the bee returned and after the 

 usual preliminary movements, dropped quickly into the 

 hole before brick W,. Discovering her error, she backed 

 out and searched about for her home until it was found. 

 By making additional holes and by altering the condi- 

 tions around the original burrow, the bee was caused to 

 make numerous errors. 



These and experiments similar in results but unlike in 

 detail, which have been described by several investiga- 

 tors'*, warrant the conclusion that wasps and bees are 

 guided home by utilizing landmarks. 



It is evident that the behavior exhibited in the above 

 experiments cannot be classed as either an anemotropism 

 or as a phototropism, for neither the orientation of the 



>* Buttel-Reepen. Sind die Bienen Reflexmaschinen? Leipzig, 1900. 



Die Sinne der Biene. 1914. 



Forel, Auguste. The Senses of Insects. Trans, by Macleod Yean- 

 ley. London, 1908. 



Lubbock, Sir John. Ants, Bees and Wasps. 1881. 



On the Senses, Instincts and Intelligence of Ani- 

 mals. London, 1888. 



Peckham, G. W^. Some Observations on the Special Senses of 

 Wasps. Proc. of the Sat. Hist. Soc. of Wisconsin, April, 1887. 



Peckham, Geo. W. and Elizabeth G. On the Instincts and Habits 

 of the Solitary Wasps. Madison, Wis., 1898. 



