64 The Honey-Makers 



There is yet another bee-voice, as the French naturalist 



Girard tells us, — 



"The humming is not produced solely by the vibrating 

 of the wings, as is generally admitted. Chabrier, Bur- 

 meister, Landois, have discovered in the humming three 

 different sounds : the first, caused by the vibrating of the 

 wings ; the second, sharper, by the vibration of the rings of 

 the abdomen ; the third, the most intense and acute, pro- 

 duced by a true vocal mechanism placed at the orifices of 

 the aerial tubes." 



The ancients often came curiously near the truth in their 

 observations, and Aristotle, speaking of the sounds made by 

 insects, including bees, says, — 



" Insects have neither voice nor speech, but make a 

 sound with the air within them, not with that which is 

 external." 



He then speaks of the buzzing of bees with their wings, 

 and of the singing of grasshoppers, — 



*' All these make a noise with the membrane which is 

 beneath the division of their body, in those which have a 

 division." 



With such power of making various noises it would in- 

 deed be strange if the bee were deaf, at least to the sounds 

 made by its own kind, and there is every reason to believe 

 it does hear and understand them. 



" When something seems to irritate the bees, who are in 

 front of a hive on the alighting board," says a believer in 

 the language of bees, " they emit a short sound, z-z-z, 

 jumping at the same time towards the hive. This is a 

 warning, then they fly and examine the object of their 

 fears, remaining sustained by their wings near the sus- 

 pected object, and emitting at the same time a distinct and 

 prolonged sound. This is a sign of great suspicion. If 

 the object moves quickly, or otherwise shows hostile intent. 



