302 M. BONNIER’S VIEWS. 
exactly the same, only putting vermilion in place of 
the green. 
At 7.55 she returned to the green. I then did ex- 
actly the same, only putting white in place of green. 
At 8. 3 ” ” ” ” 
These observations clearly show that bees possess 
the power of distinguishing colours. 
It remained to determine, if possible, whether 
they have any preference for one colour over another. 
M. Bonnier in a recent memoir! denies this. He 
does not question the power of insects to distinguish 
colours, which he admits that the preceding observa- 
tions clearly prove, but he maintains that they would 
not be in any way attracted or guided by the colours 
of flowers. This he has attempted to demonstrate by 
experiment. With this view he proceeded as follows: 
—He took four cubes, 22 centim. by 12 (i.e. about 9 
inches by 33), and coloured red, green, yellow, and white, 
placing them 6 feet apart in a line parallel to and about 
60 feet distant from the hives. He then placed on 
each an equal quantity of honey, and from minute 
to minute counted the number of bees on each cube. 
He found that the number of bees on each was approx- 
imately equal, and that the honey was removed from 
each in about twenty minutes. In the experiment he 
records the bees began to arrive directly the honey 
was arranged, and in ten minutes there were nearly a 
hundred bees on each cube. I presume, therefore, that 
Lee Nectaires. 
