228 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. [October. 



aries in different sections of the coun- visit. As he quit the hornet's nest the 

 try, but could give no names, and hornet gave him a bat that sounded 

 they would interest me for some time like the explosion of a percussion 

 telling what they saw and whkt they cap. It made my blood tingle, 

 thought about it, and I would have "They were together quicker than 

 been glad to have gotten the parties' a wink, up and down, butting, back- 

 names. Traveling people always have ing out, and coming together again, 

 something interesting to tell of what until both dropped to the floor of 

 they have seen, and they are most in my porch. They clinched, or seemed 

 contact with business people, and our to. They fairly rolled together, 

 names and business should be known "Then they rose in the air. The 

 to them. hornet gave chase until he bore down 



Permit me to say also that bee- on the bee. The bee turned like a 

 keepers should use printed letter- hawk and met his pursuer. The hor- 

 heads. You are a bee-keeper, but net ducked. Then they got together 

 you should have printed letter-heads again, and again it was an up-and- 

 as well as any other business man. down affair, which for dexterous 



Cordele, Ga. dodging and biffing and batting sur- 



passed anything I ever saw in the 



DUEL IN THE AIR. ring. 



"While they were at it, along comes 



Fierce Fight Between a Hornet, a an English sparrow. He had a bit of 

 Bumblebee and a Sparrow. rag or wisp or something whose 



(From the Detroit Free Press.) weight was testing his strength. It 



"The fiercest fight I ever saw took trailed in the wake of the bird, and 

 place in the air. The combatants the lower end of it came in contact 

 were a hornet, a bumblebee and a with the hornet and the bee. And in 

 sparrow. All The Hagues in history some way the sparrow lost his clutch, 

 couldn't have stopped it. "Instantly the sparrow darted down- 



"I was on the porch of my house, ward to recover the wisp. The spar- 

 chinking up for summer, when the row is a fool, but a fighter. This 

 hornet came along," continued the bird made a dip for the wisp and came 

 narrator, who saw that he was expect- between the fighters. For a second 

 ed to make good his statement. "He he fluttered as if he had been shot, 

 was building a nest there, and I In less than a second the plucky bird 

 watched him on several trips carry- recovered, and made another attempt 

 ing material. to get his property. 



"A few minutes later a bumblebee "For an instant there was a fast, 

 of unusual size and brilliant color fractious and fierce commingling of 

 took a buzz about the premises. His the three. The last round had come, 

 buzz was deep toned and earnest. "The bumblebee fell to the earth, 



"I'm an out-o'-door man, and I pursued by the sparrow. They hit 

 have always noticed that head-on col- the dust together. At the same in- 

 lisions between aerial navigators are stant the hornet went off in a zigzag 

 almost unknown. I wonder that hu- direction. I lost sight of him and 

 mans haven't imitated these flyers went to the contest between the bee 

 more than they have in this respect. and the sparrow. 



"I was surprised, however, to see "The bee was dead. He had been 

 that in the case I am telling you literally pecked to strings. The 

 about the hornet and the bumblebee sparrow, swollen to twice his normal 

 dodged each other several times. That's size, was helpless. He fluttered 

 what made me quit my own job and feebly and expired. He had been 

 take notice. I soon discovered that stung to death. 



the bumblebee was intent upon invad- "I returned to my porch and waited, 

 ing the nest of the hornet, but only Nearly an hour elapsed when I saw 

 when the hornet was absent. the hornet come back. He fell in his 



"The humbler was evidently on the effort to fly. Finally he crawled across 

 lookout, for as soon as the hornet the floor, climbing up the side of the 

 showed up he flew in another direc- house feebly and reached his nest, 

 tion. No sooner did the hornet finish "He never came out. When I 

 and fly away than the bumblebee sail- thought it safe to do so, I mounted 

 ed back with a biff from his lurking my stepladder and carefully examjn- 

 place. ed the nest through a magnifying 



"He returned once too often, or, glass. The hornet was dead. So all 

 rather, he tarried too long on his last three fighters were accounted for." 



