AN IDYL OF THE HONEY-BEE. 55 



m this tree and their entrance is on the upper side 

 near the ground, not two feet from the hole I peer 

 into, and yet so quiet and secret is their going and 

 coming that I fail to discover them and pass on up 

 the hill. Failing in this direction, I return to the 

 oak again, and then perceive the bees going out in a 

 small crack in the tree. The bees do not know they 

 are found out and that the game is in our hands, and 

 are as oblivious of our presence as if we were ants 

 or crickets. The indications are that the swarm is a 

 small one, and the store of honey trifling. In " tak- 

 ing up " a bee-tree it is usual first to kill or stupefy 

 the bees with the fumes of burning sulphur or with 

 tobacco smoke. But this course is impracticable on 

 the present occasion, so we boldly and ruthlessly as- 

 sault the tree with an ax we have procured. At the 

 first blow the bees set up a loud buzzing, but we 

 have no mercy, and the side of the cavity is soon cut 

 away and the interior with its white-yellow mass of 

 comb-honey is exposed, and not a bee strikes a blow 

 in defense of its all. This may seem singular, but 

 it has nearly always been my experience. When a 

 swarm of bees are thus rudely assaulted with an ax, 

 they evidently think the end of the world has come, 

 and, like true misers as they are, each one seizes as 

 much of the treasure as it can hold ; in other words,' 

 they all fall to and gorge themselves with honey, and 

 calmly await the issue. When in this condition they 

 make no defense and will not sting unless taken hold 

 of. In fact they are as harmless as flies. Bees are 

 always to be managed with boldness and deeision. 

 Any half-way measures, any timid poking about, any 

 feeble attempts to reach their honey, are sure to be 

 quickly resented. The popular notion that bees have 



