DECEMBER 1, 1914 



^35 



Tlie carelessly made nest of the wood-swallow. 



the next batch of cells we obtained no better 

 results; so we cast about for the reason. 

 The martins by this time appeared very 

 quiet, coming right in among the hives and 

 settling close at hand on small shrubs and 

 on the fence-posts. We began to study them. 

 We observed them to make a gliding circu- 

 lar flight over the bee-yard, then rapidly 

 swoop downward and catch a bee. (We 

 have endeavored to depict this in the accom- 

 panying water-color sketch.) 



Possessing a love for the native birds we 

 were loth to kill them; but so continuous 

 were the onslaughts on the queens and 

 worker bees, we decided to shoot a few for 

 purposes of investigation. On conducting 

 a post-mortem examination we found in 

 each of the birds from ten to fifteen bees. 

 We noted no parts of other insects. 



Some time ago a writer stated in the 

 Australian Beekeeper that the birds ate only 

 the head and thorax of the bees, rejecting 

 the abdomen, as it contains the sting. Our 

 investigations did not bear this out, as we 

 found some bodies complete with the excep- 

 tion of the sting. This (together with the 

 perching of the bird after catching the bee) 

 leads us to believe the martins squeeze the 

 bee in such a manner as to cause the sting 

 and poison-gland to proti'ude far enough 



to be wiped off on a limb. The hard chit- 

 inous substance of the head and thorax 

 would not, without the honey-sac in the 

 abdomen, aiSord much " meat." 



After a week's shooting, the loss of young 

 queens was reduced to normal. Latterly we 

 have taken to hanging the dead birds in 

 various positions in the apiary as a species 

 of scarecrow. This appears to act very well. 



Dr. Leach, M.Sc, in his book of birds, 

 mentions the attacks made by the martins 

 ui)on the bees, and advises the removal of 

 the apiary in preference to killing the birds, 

 as they render incalculable service to the 

 state by the destruction of the insect pests. 

 However, we are of opinion that once tlu 

 wood-SAvallows take to the destruction of 

 honeybees they rarely attend to the hunting 

 of other insects. 



Some years ago a Queensland resident, 

 under special government permission, occu- 

 pied a small tropical isle off the coast of the 

 mainland. The island abounded in insect 

 and bird life. There were flocks of birds so 

 great as to darken the face of the sun. 

 Tlie entomologist soon had a small apiary in 

 working order, and the yields of honey re- 

 corded read like an account of a record year 

 in Florida. But, alas! the martins came in 

 teeming thousands, and reduced huge colo- 



