The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-03-18
Ant and Bee Discourse.

Since Darwinian ideas have spread,
there seems TO be general disposition to
show up the facts which tend to prove
that inferior creatures possess rudiments
of Tie. mental and moral endowments
whiaE distinguish man. We hardly open
paper without finding anecdotes In IL OF
the intelligence of animals. This Is very
well, for some men are so vain OF tnelr
gifts that they can only express contempt
for the insignificant traces of mental and
moral attributes seen in brutes, and some
even affect to deny superior unseen intel
ligence altogether.
The eminent practical naturalist, Sir
John Lubbock. although a member of
Parliament. has found, or taken time, 10
watch patiently the proceedings of bees
and ants, with view of throwing some
light upon the asserted facts of their being
able. to communicate among themselves
not only emotions but facts. In late
lecture to the Mid-Kent Natural History
Society, he gave very interesting and
exact details of his tests and observations.
One trial consisted in placing comb of
honey, ON fine July day, in rather out
o.-the-way place, and putting single bee
or wasp on it, with a view to discover
whether this single insect could or would
tell others of the store and bring them to
il. A bee placed on the comb sucked at
the honey for nearly half an hour, and
then flew back to the hive, returning in
about fifteen minutes, till nearly s O'Clock
in the evening. but always alone. Next
morning at few minutes before 6 she he
gan to renew her visits, and came about
every twelve minutes till noon, when
watching was discontinued but no other
bee came. The next day was unfavorable
for bees, but while the rest were idle she
worked on as before. and on this day two
other bees, Joined her. They appeared TO
be stragglers which found the place by ac-
cident.
He could not discover any evidences OF
affection for each other among bees. A
bee held by pincers among Others, or even
killed in their presence, did not attract the
least notice from them. In every thing
but in the collection of stores for common
use, they seem to be entirely selfish.
In regard to their material senses, he
could not discover any proof OF their pos
sessing the faculty of hearing. He could
not get them to notice mere noises of any
sort. Screams, shouts, whistlings and
Anticipating were thrown away upon
them: yet he believed they recognized
some sounds, because they made varying
sounds themselves, as if with purpose
! Their scent is evidently keen. Bees al
ways came out of the hive when few
drops of Cologne water were dropped al
! the entrance and as the same bees con-
stantly came. when this was done seven
or eight times in succession, it seemed APP
parent that these were stationed sentinels
Bees evidently distinguish colors, When
placed to feed on honey dropped upon pa
pers of different cOlors, the same bee in
variably returned to the same color fol
more. If the positions of the colored pa
pers were changed, they would recoil
! buzz around for awhile, and then, having
found the color they had visited before
| they would settle on it. Soitappears thai
the colors of flowers, of positive aesthetic
value to us, are of practical and material
use to the beesl
Sir John SAYS that he observed evidence
of great variations in the degree of intelli
| gence possessed by individuals among
bees. Some were long in finding an intri
cate way to some covered cup of sweets
and required repeated assistance before
they could remember the way. Other:
needed only to be shown to it once.
| AS to ants, the evidence of communities
| ton and concerted action seemed strong
As one test, honey was placed on one only
of several little tables made of cards, by
pushing long pins through the corners W
to the head, and sticking them into {
| board. Single ants placed with the honey
and presently returning to the nest, al
WAYS brought friends alOng-sometime'
| but one, sometimes as many as twenty
| And in nearly all cases, all the ants wen1
up the pins of that scaffold only which
carried the honey.
The lecturer did not explain how he
managed TO distinguish and identify the
individual insects. Nor did he discover
by what means the ants communicated
| their discoveries.