those have been thrown on the ground, they will ap- 

 pear in large numbers. Now one sips a few seconds, 

 then he darts with a buzz at a fellow-tippler; the in-xl 

 moment he dives at a dignified bumblebee, who lias 

 knocked off hard work just long enough to take a 

 snit of 'salt liquor. It was amusing to see the burly 

 bumblebees kick with their hind legs at tin- intruders. 

 If a bumblebee could talk, I felt he would have said 

 to his buzzing, darting relatives: "Hasn't your tribe 

 anything useful to do? Please don't bother serious 

 people with your pranks ! I have just five minutes 

 to take a drink." 



At times, one of the playful bees would tackle so 

 impetuously that the dignified bumblebee was fairly 

 knocked off his feet. Then there would be a scuffle 

 for a second and I fancied that the bumblebee was 

 really angry and threatened the kiddish intruder to 

 "Cut it out! or I'll run you through with my bay- 

 onette." If any such threat was in the big bee's 

 mind, he never carried it out. In a second or two, 

 the players separated, the tormentor flashed away 

 with a buzz, and the sedate bumblebee again probed 

 the, gravel for some more drink, until another little 

 pest dashed at him. 



\Vhat it all meant, I am not sure. Was it really a 

 kind of mischievous play on the part of the small 

 bees, or were they attracted by the conspicuous black 

 and yellow spot on the gravel as a moth is attracted 

 to a light? 



I have tried to report faithfully what I saw; per- 

 il a ps my readers will see something different. I 

 should like to hear from them. 



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