278 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



bees had commenced their depredations. On finding 

 themselves excluded, they alighted on the wire by thou- 

 sands, fairly squealing with vexation as they vainly tried 

 to force a passage through the meshes. Baffled in every 

 effort, they attempted to descend the chimney, reeking 

 with sweet odors, even although most who entered it fell 

 with scorched wings into the fire, and it became necessary 

 to put wire-guaze over the top of the chimney also.* 



As I have seen thousands of bees destroyed in such 

 places, thousands more hopelessly struggling in the delud- 

 ing sweets, and yet increasing thousands, all unmindful 

 of their danger, blindly hovering over and alighting on 

 them, how often have they reminded me of the infatuation 

 of those who abandon themselves to the intoxicating cup. 

 Even although such persons see the miserable victims of 

 this degrading vice falling ah 1 around them into premature 

 graves, they still press madly on, trampling, as it were, 

 over their dead bodies, that they too may sink into the 

 same abyss, and their sun also go down in hopeless 

 gloom. 



The avaricious bee that, despising the slow process of 

 extracting nectar from " every opening flower," plunges 

 recklessly into the tempting sweets, has ample time to 

 bewail its folly. Even if it does not forfeit its life, it 

 returns home with a woe-begone look, and sorrowful 

 note, in marked contrast with the bright hues and merry 

 sounds with which its industrious fellows come back from 

 their happy rovings amid " budding honey-flowers and 

 sweetly-breathing fields." 



* Manufacturers of candies and syrups will find it to their interest to fit such 

 guards to their premises ; for, if only one bee in a hundred escapes with its load, 

 * considerable loss will be incurred in the course of the i 



