WHY  DO  BEES  WORK  IN  THE  DARK.  241 
A  bottle  of  honey  from  Rosenthal,  in  Switzerland,  was  pro- 
cured from  Messrs.  Fortnum  and  Mason.  This,  they  said,  was 
three  years  old  and  improved  by  keeping.  It  was  in  a  bottle  of 
light-green  glass,  and  had  been  in  their  shop  window  for  a  long 
time.  I  transferred  a  portion  of  this  honey  to  a  white  glass  bot- 
tle, and  it  has  been  exposed  to  the  light  for  about  ten  months, 
and  is  still  (February,  ±866)  quite  fluid. 
Virgin  honey  from  Bromborough  Pool,  near  Birkenhead,  ex- 
posed to  the  light  during  many  months,  remains  quite  fluid ;  but 
old  honey — i.e.,  gathered  from  combs  of  the  second  year,  whether 
exposed  to  the  light  or  not,  soon  became  solid.  So  also  honey 
from  near  Dunstable,  gathered  from  a  new  comb,  became  solid, 
contrary  to  the  above  experience,  whether  exposed  to  the  light 
or  not. 
These  facts  sufficiently  prove  that  "the  sunned  portions "  of 
virgin  honey  do  not  always  "rapidly  crystallize." 
The  specimens  of  new  honey,  then,  had,  with  one  exception, 
not  solidified  after  many  months'  exposure.  I  endeavoured  to 
bring  some  Dorsetshire  honey  into  the  candied  state  by  placing 
it  in  a  capsule  over  sulphuric  acid  under  the  receiver  of  an  air 
pump.  The  honey  thus  operated  on  was  taken  from  a  jar  pre- 
pared in  the  usual  way,  by  steaming  the  combs  ;  it  was  darker  in 
color  than  that  exposed  to  the  light,  but  still  quite  fluid.  It  was 
kept  in  vacuo  about  a  fortnight ;  the  pump  was  worked  two  or 
three  times  a  day,  and  at  each  working  there  was  a  disengage- 
ment of  air  bubbles,  as  if  a  slight  fermentation  had  been  going- 
on  in  the  honey,  but  it  did  not  candy.  The  capsule  was  now 
placed  on  the  window  ledge  by  the  side  of  the  bottles  containing 
the  virgin  honey.  It  was  left  exposed  to  the  air  during  some 
weeks,  in  which  time  it  not  only  did  not  candy,  but  increased  in, 
bulk  to  overflowing,  thus  proving  the  presence  of  same  deliques- 
cent material. 
Acting  on  this  idea,  I  weighed  out  100  grain  portions  of  honey 
from  different  sources  into  watch  glasses,  and  exposed  them  on 
the  window-ledge.  They  all  absorbed  moisture  more  or  less,  and 
the  absorption  was  greatest  in  damp  weather,  but  in  very  unequal 
proportions ;  for  while  Normandy  honey  absorbed  8J  grains  of 
moisture,  Minorca  honey  absorbed  only  8|  grains,  and  when  the 
16 
