THE BEE. 27 



clear to your mind, if you only consider the action of 

 our own two eyes, which, convey to our brain not 

 two, but only one distinct image of the surrounding 

 objects ; and supposing that, instead of two, we had 

 a considerable number of eyes properly disposed, the 

 ultimate effect would be just the same. Now, an 

 examination of the external lenses of the compound 

 eye of the Bee shows that their surfaces, especially 

 the inner ones, are not aU of equal convexity, and 

 there appears to be, as we might expect, such an 

 arrangement and disposition of the whole mass, as to 

 ensure the most perfect cooperation between each lens 

 and the surroundiag ones. We also find regularly 

 scattered over the surface of the cornea — in fact, 

 one between almost every lens and its neighbour — a 

 great number of long hairs, and these also aid, no 

 doubt, in the stoppage or diversion of indirect rays 

 that might tend to confuse the common image. 



In a former work* we expressed the opinion that 

 the object of these numerous facets in the compound 

 eyes of insects is to render the external field clearer 

 when the insect has occasion to enter the dim hol- 

 lows of flowers and other dark places in search of 

 food, through the formation of a single picture by 

 the union of a great number of smaller images ; and 

 this view would appear to receive striking confirma- 

 tion from the organs of vision in the Bee, which 

 spends a considerable portion of its time in the corollse 

 of flowers, or in the darkened hive, 



* 'The Earthworm and Housefly.' 



c3 



