46 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



and one behind as usual. Its favourite food 

 is the combs of the wild bees' nests, especially 

 those which contain the young bee-grubs, 

 and it has somehow found out that the way 

 to get at this food is to have human assistance. 

 So whenever it comes across a man anywhere 

 near a hive it knows of, it comes and calls 

 him by chirping, and, if he pays attention 

 and follows, it will lead him to where the 

 bees have their store ; then it waits quietly 

 till the hive has been robbed, knowing that 

 a piece of comb will always be left for it in 

 payment. The natives have a great respect 

 for this clever bird ; in fact, they are afraid 

 not to treat it fairly, for they think that if 

 they do not give it some of the honeycomb 

 it will wait its opportunity to lead them 

 away again only this time it would be not 

 a bee-hive, but a wild beast, or a poisonous 

 snake, that the bird would lead them to ! 



Whether there is any truth in this it is 

 hard to say, but one has to be careful how 

 one disbelieves the stories natives tell about 

 animals, for sometimes very unlikely-sounding 

 ones turn out to be right ; and at any rate, 

 many animals are well known to show feelings 



