THE INTERPRETATION OF ANIMAL CHARACTER. [To SHE EDITOZ OP THR
SPECTATOIL".1 Sts,—In your very interesting article on "The Interpretation of Animal Character," you thus sum up your remarks on Sir John Lubbock's observations of the habits of the particular carpenter-wasp described by him :—"If there be no power of adaptation of resources to meet new difficulties, it is incredible that there can be arithmetical capacity enough for counting ten. Weshould take the power of an animal to meet unexpected emergencies of a simple kind as the most elementary of all testa of reason as distinguished from mere instinct. The ant or the beaver which makes good the injuries of whatever kind which happens to its settlement, certainly reasons." As bearing on the question raised, may I be permitted to recall the very singular case recorded by Huber of the conduct of bees whose hives had been plundered by the moth Acherontia atropoe (the well-known death's-head moth)? This moth, as most of your entomological readers may be aware, is singular among Lepidop- tera in its capacity of uttering a peculiar piping sound, closely resembling a sound emitted by the qneen-bee in certain circum- stances, which has a most extraordinary effect on the inmates. of the hives. Haber thus describes it :—" The effects are very remarkable. As soon as the sound was heard, bees that had been employed in plucking, biting, and chasing the queen about, hung down their heads, and remained altogether motionless ; and whenever she had recourse to this attitude and sound, they operated upon them in the same manner." One summer, the beekeepers in the district of Switzerland where Huber resided, were much puzzled to account for the apparent had success of their bees. The season had been good, the bees were healthy and active, but the hives, when lifted, were very light. The results of all their industry were most disappointing. A watch was set upon the hives, when the cause was soon discovered. In the twilight of the evening, the moth I have mentioned, which was unusually plentiful that year, was detected in large numbers entering the hives. This they were able to do with impunity by their producing the singular noise which I have described. Apparently the same effects were produced upon the bees as were caused by the similar noise emitted by the queen. In this way it appeared the moths had been successful in their plunder- ing the hives. When this was discovered, the proprietors of the hives placed before the entrance a grating of wire with apertures sufficient to admit the bees, but too small to allow cf the entrance of the moth. The consequence was an immediate improvement in the yield of honey. But what seemed very singular, those hives which were not so protected also shared in the improve- ment. On examination, a most singular discovery was made. Behind the entrance of the unprotected hive—unprotected by the owner—it was found that the bees had constructed a double wall of a mixture of wax and propene, the one close behind the other, each of them perforated with apertures through which the bees found admission to the hives, but those of the inner wall placed not opposite to the apertures of the outer wall, so that the bee had to turn in the narrow space between the two walls, an operation impossible to the moth, even had it been able to push itself through the hole in the outer wall. In this way, the bees had successfully defended themselves, as their neighbours had been defended by their proprietors. This would seem most completely to answer your test,—" The power of an animal to meet an emergency of a simple kind." Surely, one would say, here is as ample proof of reason as is given by the ant or by the beaver in making good an injury to its settlement. The bees proved that they knew the cause of their unsuccessful labour. They reasoned—shall we say P—what would keep out the depredator ; but their knowledge and their reason were not strong enough to overcome the singular instinct which caused them to lie still and motionless under the influence of the plunderer's music, instead of stinging her to death in a moment, as they would have done to any other intruder.—I am, Sir, &c.,
D. McL.
[This fact, if well authenticated, is not only very remarkable in itself, but would also prove that bees are not deaf to the higher notes, though Sir John Lubbock believes them to be deal to the notes which man hears most easily.—En. Spectator.]
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