s would be an extreme measure
which the mother cannot bring herself to adopt. Then why does she not
place the pellet on the rim of the cell? The mandibles, now free,
would remove the beam; the pellet would be taken up again at once; and
everything would go to perfection. But no: the insect has its mortar
and, come what may, employs it on the work for which it was intended.

If any one sees a rudiment of reason in this Hymenopteron intelligence,
he has eyes that are more penetrating than mine. I see nothing in it
all but an invincible persistence in the act once begun. The cogs have
gripped; and the rest of the wheels must follow. The mandibles are
fastened on the pellet of mortar; and the idea, the wish to unfasten
them will never occur to the insect until the pellet has fulfilled its
purpose. And here is a still greater absurdity: the plugging once
begun is very carefully finished with fresh relays of mortar! Exquisite
attention is paid to a closing-up which is henceforth useless; no
attention at all to the dangerous beam. O little gleams of reason that
are said to enlighten the animal, you are very near the darkness, you
are naught!

Another and still more eloquent fact will finally convince whoso may
yet be doubting. The ration of honey stored up in a cell is evidently
measured by the needs of the coming larva. There is neither too much nor
too little. How does the Bee know when the proper quantity is reached?
The cells are more or less constant in dimension, but they are not
filled completely, only to about two-thirds of their height. A large
space is therefore left empty; and the victualler has to judge of the
moment when the surface of the mess has attained the right level. The
honey being perfectly opaque, its depth is not apparent. I have to use
a sounding-rod when I want to gauge the contents of the jar; and I find,
on the average, that the honey reaches a depth of ten millimetres. (.39
inch.--Translator's Note.) The Bee has not this resource; she has
sight, which may enable her to estimate the full section from the empty
section. This presupposes the possession of a somewhat geometric eye,
capable of measuring the third of a distance. If the insect did it by
Euclid, that would be very brilliant of it. What a magnificent proof in
favour of its little intellect: a Chalicodoma with a geometrician's eye,
able to divide a straight line into three equal parts! This is worth
looking into seriously.

I take five ce