iv.] COMMUNICATION AMONG BEES AND WASPS. 121 



consequently had many, and vice versa. Time occupied, 

 two hours. The ant with few larvae made 21 journeys, 

 and brought 1 friend. The one with many larvae made 

 22 journeys, and brought 20 friends. These two ex- 

 periments are, I think, especially striking. 



Taken as a whole, I found that in about fifty hours, 

 the ants which had access to many larvae brought 257 

 friends, while those visiting the glass with few larvae 

 only brought 82. This result will appear still more 

 striking, if we remember that a certain number, say 

 perhaps 25, would have come to the larvae anyhow, 

 which would make the numbers 232, as against 57 ; a 

 very large difference. 



Experiments with bees and wasps have led me to 

 very similar results. As regards wasps, a typical case 

 has been already given {ante, p. 11). In the case of 

 bees, I have generally found that when they first dis- 

 cover a treasure of food, they bring a few friends with 

 them, who in their turn are accompanied by others ; 

 and so on. If, however, for the first few hours of the 

 experiment, the friends thus brought are driven away 

 or imprisoned, other bees soon cease to come. 1 For 

 instance, one bee which I watched for five days during 

 this period only brought half a dozen friends. In my 

 first experiments, however, the quantity of honey used 

 was but small ; I thought, therefore, that it would be 

 well to repeat them with a larger quantity. Accordingly, 

 on the 19th July, I put a bee (No. 10) to a honeycomb 

 containing 12 lbs. of honey 



1 My experiments were made at an upper window. If they 

 had been made on the ground floor the results might have been 

 different. 



