92 THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



when the chestnuts and lime-trees are in bloom ; and for 

 more than a week before I started this experiment I had 

 kept on my table an open comb of honey, without the 

 perfume having attracted or induced the visit of a single 

 bee. Then I went to a glass hive that was close to the 

 house, took an Italian bee, brought her to my study, set 

 her on the comb, and marked her while she was feeding. 



When satisfied, she flew away and returned to the hive. 

 I followed, saw her pass over the surface of the crowd, 

 plunge her head into an empty cell, disgorge her honey, 

 and prepare to set forth again. At the door of the hive 

 I had placed a glass box, divided by a trap into two com- 

 partments. The bee flew into this box ; and as she was 

 alone, and no other bee seemed to accompany or follow 

 her, I imprisoned her and left her there. I then repeated 

 the experiment on twenty different bees in succession. When 

 the marked bee reappeared alone, I imprisoned her as I 

 had imprisoned the first. But eight of them came to the 

 threshold of the hive and entered the box accompanied 

 by two or three friends. By means of the trap I was able 

 to separate the marked bee from her companions, and to 

 keep her a prisoner in the first compartment. Then, having 

 marked these companions with a different colour, I threw 

 open the second compartment and set them at liberty, myself 

 returning quickly to my study to await their arrival. Now 

 it is evident that if a verbal or magnetic communication 

 had passed, indicating the place, describing the way, &c., 

 a certain number of the bees, having been furnished with 

 this information, should have found their way to my room. 

 I am compelled to ^dmit that there came but a single one, 



