THE BEE. i^ 



And, moreover, Bees commmucate information to 

 one another, and they also possess emotion as well as 

 sensation. 



Do you doubt this assei-tion ? Then go to a bee- 

 hive, and lay a small twig, or some other obstacle 

 to the free passage of the inmates, across its en- 

 trance. As the labourers pass in and out of the hive, 

 they inspect it carefully, and first you "will see one or 

 two Bees crawl over, and examine it with their an- 

 tennae; then they enter and inform, probably, the 

 PoHce-bees inside. 



Presently a few more make their appearance from 

 within, and, if you have the courage to stand your 

 ground, two or three detectives will fly about your 

 head, and by- their angry hum will give you a hint 

 that it would be advisable for you to remove the 

 stick, or make yourself scarce. 



But you may leave the twig a little longer, for the 

 Bees won^t attack you at once, unless you show signs 

 of fear ; and when you find the number increase about 

 the entrance of the hive, withdraw the stick and go 

 away to a considerable distance. You will then see 

 them come forth in masses just as though they were 

 going to swarm, and had you dared to stay you would 

 have been attacked and seriously stung, for daring 

 to disturb the even tenor of their existence. 



On one occasion we ventured to stand near the 

 hive a little longer than was discreet whilst trying 

 this experiment, and were actually attacked by some 

 of the Bees, one of which flew against our face 



