SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS.

Patea Mail, 2 June 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS.

At the last meeting of the Lingean Society Sir John Lubbock laid before the members a paper, an abstract of which had already been read at the Tork meeting, of the British Association. It was a continuation of his previous memoirs on the habits of ants, bees, and wasps. He observed that the consideration of the causes which have led to the structure and colouring of flowers is one of the most fascinating parts of natural history. Most botanists are now agreed that insects, and especially bees, have played a very important part in the development of flowers. While in many plants, almost invariably with inconspicuous blossoms, the pollen is carried from flower to flower by the wind, in the case of almost all large and brightly-coloured flowers this is effected by the agency of insects. In such flowers the colours, scent, and honey serve to attract insects, while the size and form are arranged in such a manner that insects fertilise tho flowers with pollen brought from another plant. This view, of course, presupposes that bees have the power of distinguishing colours, and Sir John Lubbock has shown experimentally that this is the case in former memoirs. In the present papers he commenced by detailing some experiments made with the view of ascertaining not only whether bees could distinguish one colour from another, but also whether they preferred certain colours to others. Tinder precisely similar conditions he placed drops of honey on papers of different colours, having accustomed marked bees to come to the spot for food. He then placed these pieces of paper on a lawn. When the bee returned and had sipped the honey for about a quarter of a minute he removed it. She then flew to a second colour ; this he took away. Then she went to a third, and so on. In this manner he induced her to visit all the drops successively; and, by recording a large number of observations, he ascertained for which colour the bees showed a preference, The result was that they seemed to like blue much better than the other colours. It may be asked why it is that if blue is the favourite colour with bees, and if bees have so much to do with the origin of flowers, there should be so few blue ones. He suggests the explanation to be, that ail flowers were originally green, and then passed through white or yellow, and generally red, before becoming blue, As regards ants, he recorded a variety of experiments bearing on their recognition of relations, and, with reference to their longevity, observed that some of his specimens had lived in confinement since 1874, being, therefore, now at least seven, and probably more than eight years old.