AGRICULTURE. 293 



bee-moth, and also from the bee-bird and lizard. The last 

 two eat the bees while they are on the flowers ; but the chief 

 enemy is the moth, which gets into the hives and soon ruins 

 them, if not discovered and ejected. On account of its dep- 

 redations, the hives are usually unprofitable in the hands of 

 persons who do not understand the business. 



Many swarms of bees have gone off and made homes for 

 themselves in hollow trees and clefts of rocks ; and in several 

 of the southern counties these wild swarms are so numerous 

 that some persons find it profitable, to hunt for them, and take 

 their honey, and transfer the bees to their hives. The Los 

 Angeles News thus Describes the bee-hunter's plan : 



" Proceeding out of the range of the pasturage of his own 

 bees, he places a piece of burning wax on the ground, and 

 adjacent to it he deposits a little honey. If there are any 

 bees in the vicinity, the burning wax attracts them to the 

 spot, and they sx>on alight upon the honey. The hunter 

 watches the bee until it obtains its fill, when it at once takes 

 flight for its hive. Sometimes he waits the return of the bee, 

 which never fails so to do, accompanied by several of its con- 

 federates. Some of these the hunter captures, and places in a 

 box. He then proceeds in the direction taken by the fir^t bee. 

 Having gone far enough, according to his judgment, he liber- 

 ates one of the bees held captive, which flies onward in case 

 the hive is not already past ; if otherwise, the bee returns, and 

 the hunter has to retrace his steps. Whenever he deems it 

 necessary, the process of wax-burning is repeated. By these 

 means it seldom takes many hours for the hunter to find the 

 cave, rob it of comb, honey, and swarm, and carry all tri- 

 umphantly to his own apiary." 



In the San Fernando Mountain, an immense swarm, or a 

 cluster of swarms, has established itself in a cleft of rock, and 

 has collected a stock of honey estimated to weigh sixty 

 tons. 



