PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BEE. 95 



when near to it, and is hopelessly lost as to her where- 

 abouts. From this circumstance we are inclined to 

 conclude that the antennse are possessed of sensi- 

 bilities to which we have nothing strictly analogous 

 — that, in fact, there resides in them a sense, or senses, 

 with which mankind is not endowed, one of which 

 we are disposed to call the " homing-sense." 



Numerous observations show that by the antennae, 

 also, distinct information can be given. We have 

 ourselves tried the following experiment in con- 

 firmation of this point. Having placed near the 

 entrance of a hive a dead humble-bee, we first 

 noticed one of the sentinels rush to the body, and 

 with her feelers investigate its nature. Finding it 

 was a lifeless creature, and one, therefore, simply to 

 be got rid of, she began to tug at it, to move it 

 towards the edge of the floor -board. At once 

 discovering that the weight was too great for her 

 strength, she went to the entrance, and meeting a 

 friend, by crossing their feelers, the one was 

 made aware of the difficulty of the other. The 

 second then went to the aid of the first ; but, as the 

 body was too great a burden for their united efforts, 

 the new-comer gave up her attempts to move it, as 

 if the duty did not concern her much. The first bee, 

 however, would not be baffled till she had fetched 

 several other individuals, one at a time, to the 

 work in hand. But, at length, as she could get no 

 combined action, and as no two were sufficiently 

 strong to haul away the large carcase of their distant 

 relative, she gave up the task in despair, and retired 

 to the hive in apparent disgust. 



On a moonlight night the sentries may be observed 



