262 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



skillful policeman. Its sneaking look, and nervous, guilty 

 agitation, once seen, can never be mistaken. It does 

 not, like the laborer carrying home the fruits of honest 

 toil, alight boldly upon the entrance-board, or face the 

 guards, knowing well that, if caught by these trusty 

 guardians, its life would hardly be worth insuring. If it 

 can glide by without touching any of the sentinels, those 

 within taking for granted that all is right usually per- 

 mit it to help itself. 



Bees which lose their way, and alight upon a strange 

 hive, can be readily distinguished from these thieving 

 scamps. The rogue, when caught, strives to pull away 

 from his executioners, while the bewildered unfprtunate 

 shrinks into the smallest compass, submitting to any fate 

 his captors may award. 



These dishonest bees are the " Jerry Sneaks" of their 

 profession, and, after following it for a time, lose all taste 

 for honest pursuits. Constantly creeping through small 

 holes, and daubing themselves with honey, their plumes 

 assume a smooth and almost black* appearance, just as 

 the hat and garments of a thievish loafer acquire a 

 "seedy" aspect. " Honesty is as good policy" among 

 bees as among men, and, if the pilfering bee only knew 

 its true interests, it would be safely laboring amid the 

 smiling fields, instead of risking its life for a taste of for- 

 bidden sweets. 



It is said that bees occasionally act the part of highway 

 robbers, by waylaying a humble-bee as it returns to its 

 nest with a well-stored sac. Seizing the honest fellow, 

 theygive him to understand that they want his honey. 

 If they killed him, they would never be able to extract 



* Dzierzon thinks that these black bees, which Huber has described as so bitterly 

 persecuted by the rest, are nothing more than thieves. Aristotle speaks of " a 

 black bee which is called a thief." 



