308 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



they never alight boldly upon the entrance board, or face 

 the guards which watch the passage to the hive ; they know- 

 too well that if caught and overhauled by these trusty 

 guardians of the hive, their lives would hardly be worth in- 

 suring ; hence their anxiety to glide in, without touching 

 one of the sentinels. If detected, as-they have no pjiss- 

 word to give, (having a strange smell,) they are very 

 speedily dealt with, according to their just deserts. If they 

 can only effect a secret entrance, those within take it for 

 granted that all is right, and seldom subject them to a close 

 examination. 



Sometimes bees which have lost their way, are mistaken 

 by the inexperienced, for robbers ; there is however, a 

 most marked distinction between the conduct of the two. 

 The arrant rogue when caught, attempts with might and 

 main, to pull away from his executioners, while the -poor 

 bewildered unfortunate shrinks into the smallest compass, 

 like a cowed dog, and submits to whatever fate his captors 

 may see fit to award him. 



The class of dishonest bees which I have been describing, 

 may be termed the " Jerry Sneaks" of their profession, 

 and after they have followed it for some time, they lose 

 all disposition for honest pursuits, and assume a hang-dog 

 sort of look, which is very peculiar. Constantly employed 

 in creeping into small holes, and daubing themselves with 

 honey, they often lose all the bright feathers and silky 

 plumes which once so beautifully adorned their bodies, and 

 assume a smooth and almost black appearance ; just as the 

 hat of the thievish loafer, acquires a " seedy" aspect, and 

 his garments, a shining and threadbare look. Dzierzon is 

 of opinion that the black bees which Huber describes, as 

 being so bitterly persecuted by the rest, are nothing more 

 than these thieving bees. I call them o'ld convicts, dressed 



