82 THE HUMBLE-BEE IV 
The bird after catching the bee picks a hole in its 
abdomen, enjoys the honey it has eaten, and then 
drops the quivering body, which falls to the ground. 
He once had the opportunity of seeing the slaughter 
going on, and was able to detect the great tit as the 
murderer. ' 
Lastly, man himself must be reckoned among the 
enemies both of the humble-bee and its nest, and the 
humble-bées share the distrust of him that is uni- 
versal among wild animals. One is reminded of 
Titania’s injunction to the fairies in the JZzdsummer 
Night's Dream :— 
The honey-bags steal from the humble-bees ; 
And for night tapers crop their waxen thighs, 
And light them at the fiery glow-worm’s eyes ; 
and of the request that Bottom, later on in the play, 
makes to Cobweb to “kill me a red-hipped humble- 
bee, and, good monsieur, bring me the honey-bag.” 
It may be remarked that it is not necessary to kill 
a humble-bee to obtain its honey, for it can be made 
to disgorge it by pressure on the abdomen from 
behind. 
1 Wild Bees, Wasps, and Ants, by E. Saunders. (Routledge, 1907.) 
