Sir John Lubbock. 201 



aware that they have hitherto been duly or sufficiently 

 celebrated. 



Sir John Lubbock, so far as his experiments have 

 gone, has not found the bees nearly so clever and 

 intelligent as the ants ; but I am sure he would hardly 

 subscribe to the statement that the bees are as lazy as 

 loafers, and work at the most only three months out of 

 the twelve, considering the many and the long journeys 

 he has faithfully traced day by day. At the same time, 

 I am certain that he would not pronounce the bees to be 

 free from faults either. There is one vice, as already 

 hinted, to which they are sometimes inclined. Like 

 many other animals (and men too !) who bear a high 

 character for industry and respectability, they are only 

 too apt, many of them, to go on the " spree," or to have 

 a " bouse." It is notorious that they will sometimes get 

 tipsy ; and if flowers of certain plants are within reach, 

 will indulge themselves by imbibing intoxicants or 

 narcotics with so great avidity, that stray ones now 

 and then will be unable to fly from the source of their 

 ill, and are to be found hanging there quite stupid after 

 sunset, and no doubt perish from cold. Bumble bees 

 often, and hive bees sometimes, have been found in 

 this tipsy condition on the flowers of certain species 

 of the willow. 



• In the Gardener's Chronicle, so far back as 1841, 

 this extract will be found : — 



" We regret extremely to announce that some honest 

 humble bees of our acquaintance have taken to drink- 

 ing, and to such an extent that they are daily found 

 reeling and tumbling about the doors of their places 

 of call— the blossoms of the passion-flower, which 

 flow over with intoxicating beverage — and there, not 

 content with drinking like' decent bees, they plunge 



