HABITS AND INTELLIGENCE OF BEES 139 



bees may think they are left alone, and so make 

 haste to alight. Another does it to keep the bees 

 in the neighbourhood with the charms of the music ; 

 and a third hopes to drown the notes of the guides 

 which may be ready to lead off the swarm to distant 

 parts previously explored in search of an eligible 

 spot to alight in. It is remarkable, however, that 

 all agree in assuming that the bees hear and are 

 acted upon by the noise produced. 



Sir John Lubbock has recently tried a further 

 series of interesting experiments to decide the 

 question as to how far the power of hearing is devel- 

 oped in bees. To what extent music has power to 

 charm the bee or guide her instincts may be judged 

 from the result of an experiment of which he read 

 an account at a meeting of the Linnean Society in 

 November 1882. 



Some honey was placed on a musical box on his 

 lawn, and the box was kept going for a fortnight, 

 during which time the bees regularly helped 

 themselves to the honey. The box and honey were 

 then removed out of sight into the house, and, 

 although placed near an open window and only 

 seven yards from the previous position, the bees 

 failed to find the honey, although those brought to 

 it in its new position afterwards found the way 

 readily enough. He, however, declines to say that 

 bees are incapable of hearing, and thinks it not 

 impossible that insects may perceive higher notes 

 than we can hear, and may even possess a sense or 

 perhaps sensations of which we can form no idea ; 

 for although we have no special organs adapted to 

 certain sensations, there is no reason why it should be 

 the case with other animals, while the problematical 



