33 HUMBLE CREATURES. 



The Bees employ their antennse for various pur- 

 poses; amongst others, to ascertain the character 

 and form of objects and substances, as a guide in the 

 construction of their cells, and to communicate in- 

 formation to one another, the last-named end being 

 accomplished by crossing their feelers with those of 

 their congeners. 



Whilst its antennae remain unimpaired, the in- 

 stincts of the Bee are wonderfully active and acute ; 

 but as soon as it is deprived of these mysterious 

 organs, its whole nature seems to undergo a change, 

 and its psychical or mental state may then be com- 

 pared to that of an imbecilei or insane person — to 

 one, in fact, who has " lost his senses." 



With the view of illustrating this observation, we 

 shall repeat two anecdotes related by Huber, and 

 transferred from the pages of Messrs. Earby and 

 Spence : — " You have seen that the organ of the lan- 

 guage of ants is their antennae. Huber has proved 

 satisfactorily that these parts have the same use 

 with the Bees. He wished to ascertain whether, 

 when they had lost a queen (intelligence which tra- 

 verses a whole hive in about an hour), they discovered 

 the sad event by their smell, their touch, or any 

 unknown cause. He first divided a hive by a grate, 

 which kept the two portions about three lines apart, 

 so that they coxdd not come at each other, though 

 scent would pass*. In that part in which there was 



* If scent would pass and did not fail to attract the Bees, 

 sound would pass also ; according to Huber'a views, therefore, it 



