178 PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 24, NO. 7-8, OCT.-NOV., 1922 



these facts with good effect. Of the poems for which the bee 

 furnishes the principal theme, perhaps none is more quaint and 

 interesting than Whittier's "Telling the Bees," which immortal- 

 izes a legend to the effect that, when the master or mistress of 

 the house dies, unless the bees are specifically informed of the 

 sad event, they will immediately swarm and be lost to the farm. 

 The last two stanzas of this poem contain the gist of the matter: 



"With his cane to his chin, 

 The old man sat; and the chore-girl still 

 Sung to the bees stealing out and in. 



And the song she was singing, ever since 

 In my ears sounds on: 

 'Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence! 

 Mistress Mary is dead and gone!" 



There are of course innumerable poetic references to the 

 honey-bee which might be discussed at great length, but the 

 literature of the insect is a voluminous one and there remain 

 many other insects of poetry still to be mentioned. 



In view of their conspicuous appearance and booming voices, 

 it seems rather curious that the humble-bees have not come in 

 for more general notice among the poets. In recent years 

 Emerson has apostrophized the insect with excellent effect, but 

 it is seldom that the earlier poets mention these beautiful and 

 interesting bees. Shakespeare is an exception to this rule, as 

 he alludes to the humble-bees several times; the most specific 

 reference is: 



" kill me a red-hipped humble-bee on the top of a thistle." 



Midsummer Night's Dream. 



According to Fyles this refers to Eombus lapidarius, a common 

 British species, although in this country there are several species 

 which might be called "red-hipped." Unique in the field of 

 entomological poetry is Dr. L. O. Howard's humorous contribu- 

 tion of 40 lines, describing the habits and tragic end of a certain 

 Psithyrid bee. This was published anonymously in Entomo- 

 logica Americana for March, 1890, and subsequently reprinted in 

 his "Insect Book" where its authorship is acknowledged. With 

 regard to the Vespidae, poets apparently have noticed but two 

 facts; first, that they sting readily, as in Longfellow's Hiawatha: 

 "Ah! the singing fatal arrow; 

 Like a wasp it buzzed and stung him!" 



and second, that they are fond of ripening fruit, as shown by 

 William Sharp's verse: 



"Where the ripe pears droop heavily, 

 The yellow wasp hums loud and long, 

 His hot and drowsy autumn song; 



