SENSES OF BEES. 145 



reject a flower with disdain, and immediately dash away 

 to a more favourite blossom. 



Eye-sight is said to be very imperfect in this insect. 

 Dr. Dereham proves very beautifully that, the cornea and 

 optic nerve being at one and the same distance, they are 

 not fitted to observe objects close at hand but can see well 

 at a little distance. This is a wise provision for so tiny 

 an insect, enabling her to roam some miles away from her 

 home. We frequently (remarks Dr. Evans) observe bees 

 flying straight homewards, through the trackless air, as if 

 in full view of the hive, then running their heads against 

 it and seeming to feel their way to the door with their 

 antennae as if totally blind. 



It may be suggested that they find their way home,, 

 when foraging at some distance, by the aid of memory ; 

 no one, however, who has, carefully watched them, will 

 deny that they fly in a direct line — " bee line," as it is 

 called by the American honey-hunters. 



On all these difficult problems we advise our readers- 

 who desire further information to study Langstroth We 

 cannot conclude this short chapter without noticing the- 

 theory of Dr. Virey. He has given it as his opinion 

 that there are seven senses, which he thus divides : Four 

 physical, namely — touch, taste, smell, and love : Three 

 intellectual, namely — hearing, sight, and thought. Whether 

 love and thought should be added to the above enumeration 

 of the acute senses of bees is rather questionable. We do 

 not know upon what grounds their physical love has been 

 made out, unless it has reference to the queen's wedding. 

 Something resembling thought is very conspicuous in many 

 of their operations, but it cannot be distinctly pronounced 

 to be such without much more evidence than we now 

 possess. 



