370 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



Let not any of my readers think that they have even a 

 slight encouragement, from this conduct of the bee, to re- 

 serve all their sweet smiles and honied words for the world 

 abroad, while they give free. vent, in the sacred precints of 

 home, to ill-natured looks and ill-tempered language ; for 

 towards the occupants of its honied dome, the bee is all 

 kindness and affection. In the experience of many years I 

 never saw an instance in which tvs^o bees, members of the 

 same family, ever seemed to be actuated by any but the 

 very kindest feelings toward each other. In their busy 

 haste they often jostle against each other, but where every 

 thing is well meant, every thing is well received : tens of 

 thousands all live together in the sweetest harmony and 

 peace, when very often if there are only two or three chil- 

 dren in a family, the whole household is tormented by their 

 constant bickerings and contention. Among the bees the 

 good mother is the honored queen of her happy family ; 

 they all wait upon her steps with unbounded reverence and 

 affection, make way for her as she moves over the combs, 

 smooth and brush her beautiful plumes, offer her food from 

 time to time, and in short do all that they possibly can to 

 make her perfectly happy ; while too often children treat 

 their mothers with irreverence or neglect, and instead of 

 striving with loving zeal to lighten their labors and save 

 their steps, they treat them more as though they were ser- 

 vants hired only to wait upon every whim and to humor 

 every caprice. 



Let us pause for a moment, and contemplate further the 

 admirable arrangement by which the instinct of the bee 

 which disposes it to defend its treasures, is made so per- 

 fectly compatible with the safety both of man and the do- 

 mestic animals under his care. Suppose that away from 

 home, bees were as easily provoked, as they are in the im- 



