A Lively Bee Hunt 217 



cavity was a solid pillar of comb, eight or nine 

 inches in diameter, and that was fastened to 

 the inside of the cavity every foot or so, by 

 smaller braces of comb, filled with delicious 

 honey. 



Ben said these braces were put in to steady 

 the main column, and keep it from falling. 



We took out two large milk pails full of the 

 delicious sweet and left as much more in the 

 tree. 



The following day we came back and got 

 the rest, but the swarm, which we also in- 

 tended to capture, had disappeared. 



" They didn't want to trust themselves to 

 our mercies any longer," said Ben. " They 

 will find another hollow tree, and before the 

 frost has closed the late goldenrod and the 

 purple asters, they will have sweet enough 

 stored up to carry them through the cold 

 weather. If we had brought their house 

 down about their heads a month or two later, 

 they would probably have all perished. 



" I always feel as mean as dirt when I take 

 away the honey that the poor bee has gathered 



