254 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



The toad is a well-known devourer of bees. Sitting, 

 towards evening, under a hive, he will sweep into his 

 mouth, with his swiftly-darting tongue, many a late 

 returning bee, as it falls, heavily laden, to the ground ; 

 but as he is also a diligent consumer of various injurious 

 insects, he can plead equal immunity with the insective- 

 rous birds. 



It may seem amazing that birds and toads can swallow 

 bees without being stung to death. They seldom, how- 

 ever, meddle with any, except those returning fully laden 

 to their hives, or such as, being away from home, are in- 

 disposed to resent an injury. As they are usually swal- 

 lowed without being crushed, they do not instinctively 

 thrust out their stings, and before they can recover from 

 their surprise, they are safely entombed. 



Bears are excessively fond of honey ; and in countries 

 where they abound, great precautions are needed to 

 prevent them from destroying the hives. 



In that quaint but admirably common-sense work, 

 entitled, " The Femenine Monarchie, written out of 

 Experience, by Charles Butler; printed in the year 

 1609," we have an amusing adventure, related by a Mus- 

 covite ambassador to Rome : 



"A neighbor of mine, saith he, in searching in the 

 woods for honey, slipped down into a great hollow tree, 

 and there sunk into a lake of honey up to the breast ; 

 where when he had stuck fast two days, calling and cry- 

 ing out in vain for help, because nobody in the meanwhile 

 came nigh that solitary place at length, when he was 



insect race, forgive the trespasses of such birds, as we forgive those of cats and 

 dogs. The respect shown to birds by any people, seems to bear a certain ratio to 

 the antiquity of the nation. Hence, the sacredness with which they are regarded 

 in Japan, where the population is so dense that the inhabitants would feel that they 

 could ill afford to divide the produce of their fields with the birds, unless they 

 were convinced of their usefulness." Atlantic Monthly for 1859, p. 825 



