The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-08
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Henri rabre on the Mason nee.


tDodd. Mead. translation by Alexander
Telxelra de Mattos) what he did for
the spider and for the fly NJ. Tabre
Ia something OF n myth killer: but for
every myth Of natural history" that he
kills no supplies, fruit Of intelligently
planned and patiently prosecuted in
vestlEation by experiment. a fact more
Interesting than the myth. truth really
stranger than fiction. The Chalcodoma
muraria, mason bee Of tho walls, Is an
artist in concrete construction. She
builds her house OF dry calCaroous dust,
sarvated. n firm mortar with which she
ccments hor masonry and smoothly
Ines the larNa's cell. She stores the cell
with hee bread. lays her egg and lids
tho coll with q final layer Of mortar.
bach bee huilds cluster of from six TO
ten cells two DAYS labor goes into each
cell. Then Shc coats tho entire struc-
ture with her mortar The young bees
Matching. cut their way ont with their
strong mardu,s always emerging at
the top OF the coli cone.
II you chip o1 The top ~ coll and
lay bit of brown paper over tho
aperture. or block 10 with n thin plug
W wood tho insect will work lts way
out with its p'cl,1vo mand.hlcs, iust
"a Il normally hacks through the NOR
tar. But G you place the cell IN n
paper bag tho insect. Matching. Is held
hopelossly prisoner Equipped with
tools compile 'cly adequate to the emer-
geRcy. Il does not use them. In the
inch or two between cmorEence from
the cell and conformation with the
paper envelope ali instinct for such use
" the mandibl"s Is lost The one a"t
Of escape from tho coll constitutes the
whole history Of use "f these organs in
this manner.
Sometimes Nine Cha'lCodoma Pcb-
hlehome, returning pollen laden from n
flight afcld nuds a q. spassing sister
IN her nest. Then tho owner falls
furiouslv upon the intruder. and there
Ia a hot aerial chase. punctuatcd with
intervals OF lowering almost motionless
N tho air. huzzinE challenge and do
nance. First one then tho other.
nlghts upon tho disputed nest NJ.
Tab-e waite wetrhrully. expecting 10
see sting stahs given and taken. q NOR
TAI issue. hut the battle IS always n
sham, and leaves the original house.
keeper IN possession thus SAYS tho
French scientist. reversing the savage
PruSsian maxim Might IL right. -
Among the mason bees right must bs
might. for tho usurpor Is no whit in
forior 70 strength - tho legal proprie-
tor; yet che always Yields in the end.
NJ Fahre's experiments centre upon
the one curiosity. To determine the
valence NJ instinct and any sort OF
reasoning Intelligence in the insect7
actions Tho hplning instinct Is the
subject NJ some Illuminating expert
ments The common range of tho bees
r. closely limited. they got their mortar
from the garden path. nectar and pollen
from the fowery meadows only few
wards away. But. captured by the
student, ingeniously marked carried
two or three miles from home and re-
leased. rNev find their way back 10 the
nest. Some weakings are lost. but the
majority make tho unaccustomed flgh,
IN safety. Charles Darwin had CORE
aponded with tho French natural!s:
suggesting experiment.. TO put this In
stinct 20 a more exacting test: and VI
Fahre was draughtinG his report wher
the news of tho Englishmans death
came 10 him The matter Of that re-
port IL incorporated In this book.
creatures might possibly derive thelr
eureness Of direction from the sensation
At the start 81 their removal from IN
niliar surroundings. everything should
ha done TO confuse them NJ. TahrC
therefore. putting hts bees in paper
bags. carried them over several falls
starts In various directions. twirlc(
them repeatedly I'm tn" MIR, did MI tha
his ingenuity could devise 10 confuse
tho little prisoners before he release,
them. or one set Of f0rty-nine seven
teen returned and were certainly identi
fed; again. seven ont OF twenty. Th'
deficit was probably due to individual
disaster on tho road, or possibly {
loss Of the identifying mark nccessari,
fimsy device. tho percentage ~ SAT-
returns was enough 70 establish IN,
unshakahe surcne5s NJ the humin.
instinct
Now suppose tho nest IL shifted
will the hee return to tho raVagcd site
will she hunt and hud tho now one
The nests are easily removable, vithou
disturbance of the cells, cd.hce and has
unit In tho absence of its propricto
VI Fahre moves nest on It's orlgina
foundation TO n site only six or sever
feet away. The bee returns. Sh
movers over Inc vacant STU hAhAlt
upon tho exact spot whore her hous
stood: flies away and returns, over an
over again. frequently passing bu
never recognizing the transpo3ed edi
Ace. II II DO placed At less distance
say not more than yard from IN
original site, she may examine and evei
sflter It. but will not reclaim II, II tw
nests DO interchanged, however, III
bees will bs undisturbed. each appar
entity failing 10 distinguish her owl
work from that OF another 30 long a
her exact sense OF locality Is satisfied.
Suppose tho two cells 70 be In quit
different stages OF the process, suppos
ono bee 20 have been masoning. IN
other vtctualling. when tho cells wer
interchanged. VIII the insects continu
their activities 20 confusion in the eel
or will each adapt herself 10 the newt
posed conditions? Give tho building be
a cell finished, all hut the Id and Il
process ~ provisioning; and give tn
Victualllng bee a cell only half bull
The building hen will not stop building
she adds superfuous courses Of ma
sonry, then Increases the honey stor
left by the first bee But she doe
shorten her work, increasing the struc
ture and tho stocked larder not by 10
per cent. nut by about one-th!rd, q