ter together, side by side, but also to work 

 at their cells in a double plane, head to 

 head. Each bee, therefore, as it works its 

 head round from a hemispherical end to its 

 cell, has six other heads pushing round it in 

 the opposite direction, trying to do the same 

 thing. The necessary result is the pris- 

 matic form we see. 



The formation of the hexagonal cell is 

 thus as entirely mechanical as when a 

 horse tethered to a peg describes a math- 

 ematical circle by being put into a gallop. 

 He is trying all the time not to describe a 

 circle, but to go off in a straight line ; but 

 the restraining cord, tightened by his ef- 

 forts, becomes a radius, and a circle is the 

 necessary result. 



In both cases alike the effect is entirely 

 geometrical, and the will of the animal has 

 nothing whatever to do with it. 



A Worker's Account of Himself. 



L. S. TOMPKIN. 



The honey bee, the friend and companion 

 of civilized man, in every age and almost 

 every clime, has contributed more pleasure 

 and profit to the sons of Adam than all the 

 insect tribes combined. 



See the little busy bee gathering sweets 

 from the various flowers that bloom on the 

 tressal that arches the window or portico of 

 some rural suburban cottage. Listen to 

 the humming sound that emanates from his 

 fluttering wings as he moves around and 

 delves deep into the opening bud, and in 

 the language of nature says to the quiet in- 

 mates : Erect me a little house under this 

 overhanging vine or evergreen or fruit-pro- 

 ducing tree, and I will assemble an army of 

 workers and form a colony, take possession 

 and afford you and the inmates of your 

 house, not only amusement and pleasure, 

 but add knowledge and profit to your al- 

 ready accumulated stores. I will improve 

 your crops of fruit and vegetables and carry 

 the fertilizing pollen and inoculate the bar- 

 ren flower and make the sterile shrub yield 

 its quota in the coming harvest. I will in- 

 fuse new life into husband, wife and chil- 

 dren, and open up to their benighted under- 

 standings new fields of thought and mental 

 investigation. We will continue our labors 

 from early morn to dewy eve, feed our 

 own laborers and demand no pay save the 

 watchful care and kindly protection of the 

 household. Our surplus stores shall be de- 

 voted to the uses of your family, and no 

 daintier dish was ever placed on the table of 

 a king. Our annually increasing colonies 

 are at your disposal. "Faint heart never 

 won fair lady." A spirit of enterprise and 

 industry must mark your actions in your 

 intercourse with us, and your general treat- 

 ment of our colonies must be dictated by 

 common sense, which must be improved 

 upon as our value enhances and our number 

 increases. 



I am a little working bee. My life is 

 short at this season. If I survive 50 days I 

 have attained unto the full average age of 

 my class ; therefore we have no time to 

 idle ; we must make hay while the sun 

 shines. Often in my flight I have been pur- 



sued by birds, and when returning home 

 laden down with valuable stores and ready 

 to light upon the entrance board of our 

 hive, time and again has the toad and lizzard 

 essayed to devour me. The inexperienced 

 and careless bee-man has destroyed his 

 thousands by crushing us in handling, as 

 though we were made of iron or india rub- 

 ber. The brimstone man deserves a monu- 

 ment ; in the course of time we intend to 

 erect one to his memory, and write his 

 epitaph that he may be seen and read of all 

 men. 



Our mother, the queen bee, is the very 

 soul of industry ; never tires in well-doing. 

 She lays her eggs day in and day out, and 

 keeps our hive well stocked with young 

 bees. She flies out when quite young and 

 makes her bridal trip. She is so domestic 

 in her habits, that she remains at home 

 ever afterwards, unless she finds dissatis- 

 faction among her offspring, which is mani- 

 fested by a disposition to raise a successor 

 or usurper. This she will not tolerate. 

 Therefore, she takes her departure with all 

 the old bees that will follow and leaves her 

 rival in possession of her former home. 



The drone is our father. He is a non- 

 producer, in fact, a consumer. He has no 

 sting, and when he ceases to be useful in 

 his sphere, we destroy him without any 

 compunction of conscience. 



The merciless and unscientific robber is 

 our greatest enemy. The lay, indifferent 

 and careless apiculturist is a stumbling 

 block in the way of our progress, and suc- 

 cess can only perch upon the standard of 

 those whose highest aim is victory, and 

 eternal vigilance secures the reward of their 

 labors. 



m * ■ ^m < ■ — •- 



From the Canadian Farm Advocate. 



How to Know Robber Bees. 



C. F. D., NILE. 



A robber bee, when he approaches a hive, 

 has a sly, guilty look, and flies with his legs 

 spread in rather an unusual way, as if he 

 wanted to be ready to use his heels as well 

 as wings, if required. He will move cau- 

 tiously up to the entrance, and quickly 

 dodge back as soon as he sees a bee coming 

 toward him. If he is promptly grabbed 

 as soon as he attempts to go in, you need 

 have but little fear. If a bee goes in and 

 you do not know whether he was a robber 

 or not, you must keep a close watch on the 

 bees that come out. A bee in going to the 

 fields comes out leisurely and takes wing 

 with but little trouble, and his body is slim, 

 for he has no honey with him ; but a bee 

 that has stolen a load is generally very 

 plump and full, and as he comes out he has 

 a hurried and guilty look ; besides, he is al- 

 most always wiping his mouth, like a man 

 who lias just come out of a beer-shop. Most 

 of all, he finds it a little difficult to take 

 wing because of the weight, and he feels 

 instinctively that he will be quite apt to 

 tumble unless he can take wing from some 

 elevated position, and, therefore, he crawls 

 up the side of the hive or to the extreme 

 end of the alighting board before he launches 

 out. When he first takes wing he falls a 



