658 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



that it would perpetuate its bleached appear- 

 ance. By much pains and care, however. I suc- 

 ceeded in getting it through tlie winter, and 

 making it bear seed, and the little plants were 

 more or less white. Bj' selection we got heads 

 of lettuce that were lilie some of our coleuses, 

 mostly white, with green splotches; but when 

 we tried to sell them on the wagon we were re- 

 warded for our pains by having customers ob- 

 ject, fearing that the bleached appearance was 

 caused by something we put on it to kill in- 

 sects. Well, we should have succeeded in get- 

 ting it all white, no doubt; but by that devel- 

 opment of its albino peculiarity the plant be- 

 came enfeebled, and I soon found that we must 

 work for good solid heads as well as for white 

 ness. Old dame Nature seemed quite willing 

 to give us one or the other, but I have about 

 given up trying to get both. The white plants 

 do not inake good heads, but just push up to 

 seed. If I were to attempt to reason by analo- 

 gy, and say that the albino bees will be feeble 

 and '• run up to seed." I should probablv be 

 jumping at conclusions. I wish Prof. Cook 

 would tell us what he thinks about it.] A. I. R. 



KING-BIEDS. 



THEIR habits; AN ENEMY UF BEES. 



r Editor Gleanmgs :— The question of the king- 

 bird and its habits as discussed in Gleanings 

 at different times has not thrown much light 

 on the habits of that bird; and 

 from what has been said. by cor- 

 respondents in that journal from 

 time to time, it is apparent that 

 some have mistaken other birds for 

 the king-bird. That such a mis- ,„ ,, 



take should be made is not so wiJ 



given resembles the bird commonly called 

 '"phcjebe" nearer than it does the king-bird. 

 I send you drawings, both of the male and fe- 

 male, which are more true to life. . 



The king-bird in this latitude (42) brings 

 forth its brood toward the last of June or the 

 first of July, usually from three to six in a lit- 

 ter. It builds a substantial nest of rather 

 coarse material, most often in the forks of large 

 limbs of a tree, and close up to the tree-trunk, 

 without any perceptible attempt to screen it 

 from rain or sunshine. When situated near an 

 apiary, the food of the young king-birds, at 

 least while they remain in the nest, is mostly 

 bees and usually drones. Five young king- 

 birds were taken from their nest at sunset, and 

 dissected. Upward of forty bees, mostly drones, 

 were found in the gizzards of the five. Please 

 note, not in the crop, but in the gizzard: fd'i' 

 king-birds have no crops. The fact that they 

 have no crop, and tliat the oesophagus does not 

 appeal' to be larger than an ordinary shoe- 

 string, certawily not capable of expanding much 

 more than to accommodate itself to the size of a 

 large drone, should be sufficient proof to con- 

 tradict any statement to the effect that they 

 are capable of regurgitating their food in quan- 

 tities described in the A B C of Bee Culture. 



DOES THE HONEY-BEE RECOGNIZE THE KING- 

 BIRD AS ITS NATURAL ENEMY"? 



Circumstances seem to indicate that they 

 consensually so undei'stand it, and are ever 

 ready to punish it whenever they have an op- 



KING-BIRD, FEMALE. 



KING -BIRD, male; % NATURAL SIZE. 



very strange when we consider how little well- 

 informed people on other subjects know of or- 

 nithology, and, worse than that, those who 

 attempt to write on any of the different species 

 of birds are usually very careless or else igno- 

 rant in legard to the subject. Our cyclopedias 

 and luitural histories are also faulty in this 

 respect, and more on account of poor illustra- 

 tions than from detailed description. The 

 American Cyclopedia describes the king-bird 

 quite accurately in respect to its size, coloi'. and 

 markings; but the cut of the bii'd as theie 



portunity to do so. Only a few 

 years ago two men were pi'e- 

 paring to hive a swarm of Ital- 

 ian bees which had just issued 

 from a hive; and while wait- 

 ing for them to cluster, their 

 attention was called to two 

 king-birds whose actions indi- 

 cated that they were in a 

 panic of alarm and perfect 

 fury. Their continual screams 

 seemed to voice both feelings 



of despair and rage. They would dive out of 

 their hiding - place right into the cloud of 

 circling bees, screaming, and snappping their 

 bills, then suddenly dart back to their cover of 

 thick brush, followed by a perfect stream of 

 bees. While this battle was going on, three 

 full-fledged young king-birds fell to the ground, 

 and died from the effect of stings. The par- 

 ent birds, which had so heroically tried to 

 defend their brood, were never seen after- 

 ward, probably having also died from stings. 

 The love of the king-bird for drones affords a 



