216 POLLEN, OR BEE-BREAD. 



enemy of the other. Second: that as the supplies 

 of honey from the blossoms had entirely failed, the 

 season (1854) being exceedingly dry, if the numer- 

 ous colonies in his vicinity had been able to help 

 themselves to his sound grapes % they would have en- 

 tirely devoured the fruit of his vines. Third : that 

 the jaws of the bee, being adapted chiefly to the 

 manipulation of wax, were too feeble to enable them to 

 puncture the skin of his most delicate grapes. 



" In reply to these arguments, being invited to go 

 to his vines, and see the depredators in the very acft, 

 the result justified my anticipations. Though many 

 bees were seen banqueting on grapes, not one was 

 doing any mischief to the sound fruit. Grapes which 

 were bruised on the vines, or lying on the ground, 

 and the moist stems from which grapes had recently 

 been plucked, were covered with bees ; while other 

 bees were observed to alight upon bunches, which, 

 when found by careful inspection to be sound, they 

 left with evident disappointment. 



" Wasps and hornets, which secrete no wax, being 

 furnished with strong, saw-like jaws, for cutting the 

 woody fiber with which they build their combs, can 

 easily penetrate the skin of the toughest fruits : while 

 the bees, therefore, appeared to be comparatively in- 

 nocent, multitudes of these depredators were seen 

 helping themselves to the best of the grapes. Occa- 

 sionally a bee would presume to alight upon a bunch 

 where one of these pests was operating for his own 

 benefit, when the latter would turn and ' show fight,' 



