812 



GLEANING8 IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



broueht up and cjectetl from the mouth, after 

 the manner of hawks and owls." Hence Mr. 

 McDonnell and Mr. Waite have the very best 

 authority in corioboratioii of their position in 

 this matter: foi- it will scarecly be gainsaid 

 that it is eminently safe to accept as fact the 

 assertions of men of high reputation on a given 

 subject whose lives have been devoted tu the 

 exclusive study of that one bi'anch of science — 

 not in the closet, but throughout. the broad do- 

 main of nature, whose books have been written, 

 not from hearsay evidence, but from notes made 

 in many places at many times by the author 

 himself, face to face, so to speak, with his 

 subject whose traits, habits, or characteristics 

 are not determined till verified by the study 

 of other specimens of the same species, thus 

 establishing your axiom, "In the multitude of 

 testimony there is wisdom." 



So much for his kingship the "tyrant fly- 

 catcher," who has the reputation of standing 

 first as a bee-killer. 



Down here we have a bird of another tribe or 

 genus that, I am sure, gets more of my bees in 

 one day than the king-liird does in a week. 

 The latter seldom percln^s near the hives. This 

 bird gets as close as he can. and he will stay all 

 day and be on hand early every succeeding day 

 throughout the season, unless he is killed. This 

 is the summer redbird, Tdihujrn (rKtiva, one of 

 the tanager genus, all of them bee-caters to a 

 greater or lesser extent. Do not mistake him for 

 the common red or cardinal bird — they are not 

 at all related. In ornithology this bird is de- 

 scribed as follows: "Male, vermilion I'ed, inner 

 vanes and tips of (juills tinged with brown: the 

 tail even. Female, young and autumnal male 

 (the sly fellow changes his clothing), yellow- 

 olive; below, brownish yellow." 



Unlike his cousin the scarlet tanager (scarlet 

 and black), which comes only occasionally to 

 get a sweet meal, this robljer takes up his quar- 

 ters right in the apiary, his favoritt! perch being 

 a dead limb or bush close to the hives, ajid in 

 the bee-highway, where he can have space 

 sufficient to fly out and seize the incoming 

 worker, alight again, and swallow his luscious 

 morsel. Sometimes he even sits on the hive, 

 catching the Iwes in rapid succession, just in 

 its front, returning to it always to do the mas- 

 ticating part. Both sexes •' work " at the same 

 task and at the same time. Sometimes several 

 pairs are noticed, and it is safe to say they 

 never tire in well-doing. 



My reason for thinking this bird kills more 

 bees than the king-bird is because he gets close 

 by where the lines of flight concentrate, and 

 bees are always within his range, while the 

 king-bird, perched on some tree a hundred or 

 more yards away, is on the line of only a few 

 bees, and he seldom comes much nearer, which, 

 however, may be because my apiary is under a 

 grove of forest-trees, making considerable shade. 

 The king-bird seems to like a prominent or high 

 perch on a leafless tree. 



For both, the remedy is the shotgun: yet I 

 imagitu' many if not most apiarists allow these 

 depredators much hititude before they get 

 roused to the point of going for the gun. 



C. P. Coffin. 



Along with the above article friend Coffin 

 .*sends the following beautiful stanzas: 



AUDUBON'S HYMN IN THE AMERICAN F()RESTS. 



I keep my biuuits within the woodland solemn; 



My charten-d coinriidc is the stainless beam; 



My bed is iiijide iR-sidi- some old oak's column; 



My goblet is the stream. 

 Whole years are mine in this majestic dwellinji'. 



vyiiere Nature yet frowns l^u-k tliesouiidiug niait ; 

 What waves of life foreverniDie are swelling- 

 Thi>ir raiiture throiigli my lieai'tl 



But not for tliese I wai.dei' oer the iiiouiitaiiis. 



And not for tliese I dare tiie hurricane; 

 And not for tliese I quatt' the virg-lu fountains— 



A prince of lull and plain! 

 Oil niiglity nu'aniiijis liiini the mountain Imaiy : 



All iiatiii'al ()l).ieets o'er me solemnly i-oll; 

 These give the loiigi'd-l'dr prize iliid sacred glnr>' 

 Unto my pilgi'im snul. 



Amid the beautiful, the strange, the holy places. 



With noondaj' bright or tender twilig'ht dim, 

 What joy is mine to measure all the spaces, 



And And the prints of Him I 

 Von long', long- river, like an anthem pouring'; 



Yon tlioug'htful silence of tin' lonely mere; 

 Yon eagle, to the sun divinel.v soaiiiig. 

 All, all have meanings here. 



To find and read them is my joy and duty; 



Then hail, ye boundless scenes! forevermore; 

 How will I di'iiik and drink your perfect beauty 



Upon tin- vii'gin shoi'e! 

 Oh! give me wclcoine, every woodland solemn, 



And long-swept plain and mountain-piling' sod; 

 For I pass by each stately forest-column 

 To learn the thoughls of G(}d. 



[We are exceedingly obliged to you for the in- 

 formation you have given us on this subject. 

 We can scarcely doubt now that the statement 

 as made originally in the A B C book was cor- 

 rect. We are glad this controversy has come 

 up, foj' now the true habits of the king-bird 

 are better known than ever; and. besides, we 

 have a better knowledge of other bee-enemies 

 among the feathei'ed tribes.] 



EXHIBIT OF HONEY AT FAIRS. 



A NOVEL DESIGN. 



While in attendance at the New York State 

 convention at Albany last winter it was our 

 pleasure to make the acquaintance of Mr. 

 Charles McCulloch, senior member of the firm 

 of Charles McCulloch & Co., honey commission 

 merchants, of Albany. This acquaintanceship 

 grew into a sort of kinship when we learned 

 that our friend was a Christian Endeavor man 

 — in fact, a leader of the C. E. movement in that 

 city. While in conversation he showed us a 

 photograph of their exhibit of honey, made at 

 the Albany State Fair. We requested the 

 privilege of reproducing the same for GlI';an- 

 TNGs. Mr. M. has since forwai'ded to us a 

 photograph, which we take pleasure in pre- 

 senting to our readers, with a description of the 

 same. 



The cut, next page, shows a display of honey 

 made by Chas. McCulloch A- Co.. dealers in 

 honey, at the last State Fair, held in Albany, 

 N. Y. It was in the form of a house 12x13, and 

 15 feet high. It took over 400 cases of honey, 

 weighing in all over 4 tons, to build it. The 

 room inside; was handsomely fui'uished with 

 easy -chairs, center- table, mirror, rugs, and 

 prelty lace curtains at the windows. Ovei' the 

 door was the very appropiiate motto, "Home, 

 Sweet Home." It was the headquarters for all 

 honey-producers visiting the fair, and they 

 were made to feel at home by Messrs. McCul- 

 loch & Co., who went to the trouble and expense 

 of the display for the benefit of their consignors, 

 taking orders for a large amount of the honey 

 during the progress of the fair. 



