AN IDYL OF THE HONEY-BEE 65 



swarm of bees are thus rudely assaulted with an axe 

 they evidently think the end of the world has come, 

 and, like true misers as they are, each one seizes as 

 much of the treasure as it can hold ; in other words, 

 they all fall to and gorge themselves with honey, 

 and calmly await the issue. While in this condi- 

 tion they make no defense, and will not sting unless 

 taken hold of. In fact they are as harmless as 

 flies. Bees are always to be managed with boldness 

 and decision. Any half-way measures, any timid 

 poking about, any feeble attempts to reach their 

 honey, are sure to be quickly resented. The popu- 

 lar notion that bees have a special antipathy toward 

 certain persons and a liking for certain others has 

 only this fact at the bottom of it: they will sting 

 a person who is afraid of them and goes skulking 

 and dodging about, and they will not sting a person 

 who faces them boldly and has no dread of them. 

 They are like dogs. The way to disarm a vicious 

 dog is to show him you do not fear him; it is his 

 turn to be afraid then. I never had any dread of 

 bees and am seldom stung by them. I have climbed 

 up into a large chestnut that contained a swarm in 

 one of its cavities and chopped them out with an 

 axe, being obliged at times to pause and brush the 

 bewildered bees from my hands and face, and not 

 been stung once. I have chopped a swarm out of 

 an apple-tree in June, and taken out the cards of 

 honey and arranged them in a hive, and then dipped 

 out the bees with a dipper, and taken the whole 

 home with me in pretty good condition, with scarcely 



