STK JOHN LTTBBOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS. 513 



honey over and over again with her usual assiduity. The follow- 

 ing morning I put the honey on green paper ; she came backwards 

 and forwai'ds all day. On the 13th I opened my window at 6.8, 

 and she came in immediately. During an hour she made ten 

 journeys. On her leaving the honey for the eleventh time, I placed 

 some honey on vermilion paper where the green had been, and put 

 the honey and the green paper about a foot off. 



She returned at 



7.25 to the vermilion. I then put orange instead of vermilion. 



7.34 „ orange 



7.40 „ blue 



7.47 „ white „ 



7.55 „ yellow and then to 

 colours. 



8. 2 „ green. I then moved both colours about a foot, 

 but so that the yellow was a Httle nearer to the old place. 



She returned at 8.9 to the yeUow. 



I then removed the yellow paper and honey, and placed the 

 honey which had been on the green paper about a foot from it 

 on the table. 



At 8.15 she returned and lit on the green paper, but imme- 

 diately flew off to to the honey. I then transposed the honey and 

 the paper. 



At 8.24 she returned and again lit on the paper, but imme- 

 diately flew off to the honey. 



Thus, therefore, though it is clear that wasps can distinguish 

 colours, they appear, as might be expected from other considera- 

 tions, to be less guided by it than is the case with bees. 



Direction of Flight. 



Every one has heard of a " bee-line." It would be no less 

 correct to talk of a wasp-line. On the 6th of August I marked 

 a wasp, the nest of which was round the corner of the house, so 

 that her direct way home was not out at the window by which 

 she entered, but in the opposite direction, across the room to 

 a window which was closed. I watched her for some hours, 

 during which time she constantly went to the wrong window 

 and lost much time in buzzing about at it. Aug. 7, 1 was not 

 able to watch her. Aug. 8th and 9th, I watched her from 6.25 

 A.M., when she made her first visit. She still constantly went 

 to the closed window. Aug. 10th and 11th, I was away from 



