The Life of the Bee 
produced no definite result, might yet under 
more favourable conditions, and if organised 
more carefully, give rise to definite and 
satisfactory conclusions. 
My study in the country is on the first- 
floor, above a somewhat lofty room, suffi- 
ciently high, therefore, to be out of the 
ordinary range of the bees’ flight, except 
at times when the chestnuts and lime-trees 
are in bloom; and for more than a week 
before I started this experiment I had 
kept on my table an open comb of 
honey, without the perfume having at- 
tracted or induced the visit of a single 
bee. Then I went to a glass hive that 
was close to the house, took an Italian 
bee, brought her to my study, set her on 
the comb, and marked her while she was 
feeding. 
When satisfied, she flew away and re- 
turned to the hive. I followed, saw her pass 
over the surface of the crowd, plunge her 
head into an empty cell, disgorge her honey, 
and prepare to set forth again. At the 
door of the hive I had placed a glass box, 
divided by a trap into two compartments. 
138 
