THE BEE. 355 



filth in their abode. It sometimes happens that an ill 

 advised slug, or an ignorant snail, chooses to enter the 

 hive, and has even the audacity to walk over the comb ; 

 the presumptuous and foul intruder is quickly killed. 

 But his gigantic carcase is not so speedily moved. Una- 

 ble to transport the corpse out of their dwelling, and fear- 

 ing the noxious smells arising from corruption, the bees 

 adopt an efficacious mode of protecting themselves ; they 

 embalm their offensive enemy by covering him over with 

 propolis; both Muraldi and Reaumur have seen this. 

 The latter observed that a snail had just entered a hive 

 and fixed itself to the glass side, just as it does against 

 walls, until the rain shall invite it to thrust out its head 

 beyond its shell. The bees it seems did not like the 

 interloper, and not being able to penetrate the shell with 

 their sting, took a hint from the snail itself, and instead 

 of covering it all over with propolis, the cunning econo- 

 mists fixed it immovably by cementing merely the edge 

 of the orifice of the shell to the glass with their resin, and 

 thus it became a prisoner for life, for rain cannot dissolve 

 this cement, as it does that which the insect itself uses.' 



BEE HUNTING. 



In many parts of the world bees are found in great 

 numbers in the woods. In the unbroken forests of our 

 own country honey is found in great abundance, and 

 there are men called bee hunters, who make a living by 

 obtaining the treasures of their hives. In the forest of 

 Maine, it is not an uncommon amusement for young lads 

 to go through the woods in quest of bees. A boy will 

 take a small box of honey in his hand and a little flour in 

 a paper, and walk along till he finds upon some wild flow- 

 er a honey bee. He opens his box, and the bee allured 

 by the fragrance of the honey, immediately seeks a sup- 

 ply from its abundance. While the bee is feeding the 

 boy carefully sprinkles upon it a little flour. As soon as 

 the bee has obtained its load, it sets out in a direct line 

 for the hive. The boy watches the direction of its flight 

 and quietly sits down and waits its return. By and by 

 the bee returns, bringing others with him. The boy 



