GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 9 
His active, yet reflective mind, demanded constant employ- 
ment; and he found, in the study of the habits of the honey- 
bee, full scope for his powers. All the observations and 
experiments of his faithful assistants being daily reported, 
many inquiries and suggestions were made by him, which 
might not have occurred to him, had he possessed the 
use of his eyes. 
Few, like him, have such command of both time and money, 
as to be able to prosecute on so grand a scale, for a series 
of years, the most costly experiments. Having repeatedly 
verified his most important observations, we take great de- 
light in holding him up to our countrymen as the PRINcE oF 
APIARISTS. 
23. Huber, having imprisoned a queen in a wire cage, saw 
the bees pass their antenn through the meshes of the cage, 
and turn them in every direction. The queen answered 
these tokens of love by clinging to the cage and crossing her 
antenne with theirs. Some bees were trying to draw the 
queen out, and several extended their tongues to feed her 
through the meshes.* Huber adds: 
“ How can we doubt now that the communication between the 
workers and the queen was maintained by the touch of the 
antenne.” 
24. That bees can hear, either by their antennz or 
some other organ, few will now deny, even although the 
sound of a gun near the hive is entirely unnoticed by them. 
“Should some alien being watch humanity during a thunder- 
stcrm, he might quite similarly decide that thunder was to us in- 
audible. Clap might follow clap without securing any external - 
sign of recognition; yet let a little child with tiny voice but 
shriek for help, and all would at once be awakened to activity. 
So with the bee: sounds appealing to its instincts meet with im- 
mediate response, while others evoke no wasted emotion.” 
(Cheshire.) 
® Wonderful as the experiment seemed at that time, the fact is verifled now 
by daily occurrences in queen-rearing. 
