SC I EN C E -Supplement. 



FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1886. 



REMARKABLE POWERS OF MEMORY IN 

 THE HUMBLE-BEE. 



Prof. Edward Hoffer gives in the last num- 

 ber of Kosmos a contribution to animal psychology, 

 which will be of interest not only to the entomolo- 

 gist, but to all biologists. It furnishes evidence 

 of some very strange powers of memory of locali- 

 ties, in this group of insects, whose brains, if we 

 may use that term, one would hardly deem capa- 

 ble of such functions. 



The author removed a nest containing numerous 

 individuals of one of the common humble-bees 

 (Bombus terrestris) from its original location, and 

 carried it to his residence, about three miles 

 distant. He further carefully watched the place 

 for some time after having captured all those that 

 had flown to the defence of their nest, and secured, 

 it was believed, the entire colony. These he im- 

 prisoned for several hours in a wide-mouthed 

 bottle, and safely re-united them in then new 

 home. At his house he placed the nest, with its 

 inhabitants, near a window, and, after they had 

 become quieted, made a small entrance. Imme- 

 diately they began to fly out, and in doing so 

 must have observed their surroundings, for in a 

 short time they one by one returned. The follow- 

 ing night, however, there was a severe storm ; 

 and while the inhabitants of the forty other colo- 

 nies near it, that had become accustomed to their 

 surroundings, were not in the least troubled, these 

 bees escaped, and hid themselves somewhere with- 

 out during the storm. Upon searching for them 

 early the next morning, the queen was found 

 dead upon the ground, while fifty or sixty of the 

 workers were seen flying about the house. From 

 time to time one or another — probably those 

 which had flown out of the entrance the day be- 

 fore — found the opening, and returned into their 

 nest ; while the remainder, after flying about for 

 several hours, gradually disappeared, till not one 

 was left. As it was supposed that they had, in 

 all probability, returned to their previous nest, the 

 place was visited in the afternoon, where, sure 

 enough, at least fifty individuals were found. 

 They had thus, it will be seen, distinctly remem 

 bered it, and, after they had sought in vain to find 

 entrance to their new home, they had depended 

 upon their wonderful sense of locality, and re- 

 turned thither. 



A similar instance was observed with another 

 nest, which had been removed a distance of nearly 

 five miles, and in which the same care had been 

 exercised to capture all the individuals. In un- 

 skilfully handling the box containing the nest and 

 bees, in its new location, about thirty of the 

 workers escaped, and flew through the open 

 window. After flying for a long time about the 

 house, as though in search of their comrades, they 

 likewise disappeared, and returned to their origi- 

 nal nest and again established themselves, as was 

 afterwards ascertained. 



It was frequently observed, that, when nests 

 had been removed but a short distance, the work- 

 ers, during the first few days after their change, 

 would fly swiftly in the direction of their old 

 nest, when, discovering their mistake, they would 

 change their course, and go to then* new home. 

 It seemed evident that these little creatures, 

 through some mental process or other, thus dis- 

 covered then changed circumstances. 



In order to test further this remarkable sense of 

 locality, the author marked a number of individu- 

 als with oil-colors, and carried them, enclosed in 

 wooden cases, a distance of eight or nine miles, 

 when he allowed them to escape. Very many of 

 them, though not all, found their way back to 

 their nests, and, as a rule, reached home sooner 

 than the author did himself. 



The author noticed that at his summer resi- 

 dence, where he had kept numerous hives of these 

 bees, the following spring many individuals ap- 

 peared, and seemed to be searching for then previ- 

 ous nests ; but he was unable to determine whether 

 they were individuals of the previous broods or 

 not. Towards the close of July, 1884, he obtained 

 three nests of Bombus mastrucatus, a large species, 

 only found in the mountains, and especially the 

 higher regions, and carried them to his residence 

 in the city, where he placed them in a window of 

 the second story. The house was enclosed by high 

 buildings, with no garden attached, and yet they 

 returned readily and directly from their excursions 

 to their nests. They throve, and by the first of 

 October had increased to considerable numbers. 

 By the middle of October they wholly disappeared ; 

 but, in the early part of the following April, indi- 

 viduals of this species were observed flying about 

 the window, and, as soon as they found an en- 

 trance, sought the remains of their old nests, and 

 took up their abode. They remained for a while, 

 when then nest was accidentally injured, and they 



