■110 sill J. LUEBOOK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS. 



Observations on Ants, Bees, and Wasps. — Part IX. By Sirj 

 John Ltjbbocb:, Bart., M.P., D.C.L., LL.D., E.E.S., Pre( 



sident Linn. Soc. 



[Eead November 17, 1881.] 



Colors of Flowers as an Attraction to Bees : Experiments and 

 Considerations thereon. 

 The consideration of the causes wliicli have led to the structure 

 and coloring of ilovi^ers is one of the most fascinating parts of 

 natural history. Most botanists are now agreed that insects, and 

 especially bees, have played a very important part in the deve- 

 lopment of flowers : while in many plants, almost invariably 

 with inconspicuous blossoms, the pollen is carried from flower 

 to flower by the wind, in the case of almost all large^and brightly 

 colored flowers this is effected by the agency of insects. In such 

 flowers the colors, scent, and honey serve to attract insects ; 

 ■^tile the size and form are arranged in such manner that the 

 insects fertilize them with pollen brought from another plant. 



Nevertheless these views have not escaped criticism. M. Bonnier, 

 for instance, in an article on Nectaries, has attempted to show that 

 they are in many respects untenable. 



I do not propose on the present occasion to follow his general 

 argument, but merely that portion of it relating to color. M. 

 Bonnier, while not questioning the power of insects to distinguish 

 colors, denies that they would be in any way attracted or guided 

 by the colors of flowers. This he has attempted to demonstrate 

 by experiment. With this view he proceeded as follows : — He 

 took four cubes, 22 centim, by 12 {i. e. about 9 inches by 3|), and 

 eolored red, green, yellow, and white, placing them 6 feet apart in 

 a line parallel to and about 60 feet distant from the hives. He 

 then pla,ced on each an equal quantity of honey, and from minute 

 to minute counted the number of bees on each cube. He found 

 that the number of bees on each was approximately equal, and 

 that the honey was removed from each in about twenty mi- 

 nutes. In the experiment he records the bees began to arrive 

 directly the honey was arranged, and in ten minutes there were 

 nearly a hundi-ed bees on each cube. I presume, therefore, that 

 the bees were previously accustomed to come to the spot in 

 question, expecting to find honey. 



I do not think, however, that any satisfactory result could be 

 expected from this experiment. In the first place, after the first 

 five minutes there were about thirty bees on each cube, and 



