AA'ATOMF OF THE BEE. 39 



hearing- can be found. Naturalists are now more united 

 in the opinion that the seat of hearing is here located. 

 The antennae are said to have also another office, viz., 

 that they act as a barometer, by which bees know the 

 state of the weather and are premonished of storms; so 

 that this pair of horns play an important part, since such 

 useful faculties are thus combined. In the dark recesses 

 of the hive the antennas are exceedingly serviceable, and 

 may truly be denominated "eyes to the blind." Bees 

 possess acutely the senses of taste and smell. In conse- 

 quence of their being detected occasionally lapping the 

 impure liquids from stable or other foetid drains, Huber 

 considered the former the least perfect of their senses. 

 It is now ascertained that bees, like most animals, are 

 fond of salt; and in spring, more especially, their instinct 

 teaches them that salt is beneficial for their health after 

 their winter confinement, and they therefore resort to 

 dunghills and Stagnant marshes, from which they are, 

 doubtless, able to extract saline draughts. 



It cannot be denied, however, that, according to our 

 ideas, bees' taste is otherwise at fault; it sometimes 

 happens that, where onions and leeks abound and are 

 allc^ved to run to seed, bees are so anxious to 

 complete their winter stores, that, from feeding on 

 these plants, a disagreeable flavour is ■ communicated to 

 the honey. Again, the fact, well known in history, re- 

 lated by Xenophon in the retreat of the Ten Thousand, 

 that bees in Asia Minor extracted honey from plants which* 



