1882.1 Recent Literature. 807 



certain stethoscope-like organs occurring there, though ants are 

 deaf to ordinary sounds, still he thinks that ants perceive sounds 

 which we cannot hear. On the other hand the sense of smell is 

 highly developed, and how important this is in enabling them to 

 find their way is shown in chapter ix, where are some curious 

 statements both as to their apparent want of ingenuity, especially 

 in constructing bridges and earthworks. Ants while guided by 

 scent are also guided by sight, and are greatly influenced by the 

 direction of the light. 



In the chapter on bees he records experiments showing that 

 honey bees ".do not bring their friends to share any treasure they 

 have discovered, so invariably as might be assumed from the 

 statements of previous observers," and he has been a good deal 

 surprised at the difficulty which bees experience in finding their 

 way. His observations also teach him that " though bees habitu- 

 ally know and return to their own hive, still, if placed on the 

 alighting-board of another, they often enter it without molesta- 

 tion." He was unable to discover any evidence of affection among 

 bees, they appearing "thoroughly callous and utterly indifferent 

 to one another." Contrary to the usual statements, he finds their 

 devotion to the queen to be " of the most limited character," and 

 the workers take no notice of their dead companions. Bees pos- 

 sess a keen power of smell, but like ants the sense of hearing is 

 very dull ; they possess, however, a color sense, preferring one 

 color to another, blue being distinctly their favorite. 



A brief final chapter is devoted to wasps, and Lubbock's exper- 

 iments, "in opposition to the statements of Huber and Dujar- 

 din, serve to show that wasps and bees do not in all cases convey 

 to one another information as to food which they may have dis- 

 covered, though I do not doubt that they often do so." They are 

 also not affected by sounds, and they are capable of distinguish- 

 ing color, " though they do not seem so much guided by it as 

 bees are." 



The book has appendices giving details of experiments regard- 

 >ng the recognition by ants of friends after long separation, and 

 °n the power of communication of ants and bees, with notes on 

 the industry of wasps, for Lubbock's investigations more than 

 confirm the general belief as to the great industry of all these 



The work is a magazine of facts, materials for farther work on 

 animal psychology. ° It sTiould stimulate our youth of both sexes 

 w ho are in any way interested in the study of nature, to observe 

 patiently and thoroughly the habits of our insects. Any one of 

 ordinary capacity can make similar observations, even those who 

 are busy in other directions, for all of Sir John Lubbock's works 

 have been prepared in moments snatched in the intervals of the 

 hie of a great banker and busy member of Parliament. 



