OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY. S09 



insectivorous, and do immense good by destroying our insect 

 pests. The king-birds are the only ones in the United States 

 that deserve censure. The species in California is Tyrannus 

 verticalis, or Western king-bird ; that of the East, Tyrannus 

 tyrannus. Another, the chimney swallow of Europe, has the 

 same evil habit. Our chimney swallow has no evil ways. I 

 am sure, from personal observation, that these birds capture 

 and eat the workers, as well as drones, as I have taken worker- 

 bees from their stomachs ; and, I dare say, they would pay no 

 more respect to the finest Italian queen. They perch on a tree 

 or post and dart with the speed of an arrow as their poor victim 

 comes heavily laden towards the hives. How is it that the 

 bird is not stung ? Some say that they pull the bees apart and 

 simply eat the honey-stomach. Do they handle the bee so as 

 to avoid the stings 7 Who will determine this point ? King- 

 birds killed close by an apiary here at Claremont had only rob- 

 ber-flies in their stomachs ; thus it was befriending the bees. 

 Yet, in view of the good that these birds do, unless they are 

 far more numerous and troublesome than I have ever observed 

 them to be, I should certainly be slow to recommend the death 

 warrant. 



TOADS. 



The same may be said of toads, which may often be seen 

 sitting demurely at the en-trance of the hives, and lapping up 

 the full-laden bees with the lightning-like movement of their 

 tongues, in a m,anner which can but be regarded with interest, 

 even by him who suffers loss. Mr. Moon, the well-known api- 

 arist, made this an objection to low hives ; yet, the advantage 

 of such hives far more than compensates, and with a bottom- 

 board, such as described in the chapter on hives, we shall find 

 that the toads do very little damage. In case of toads, the bees 

 sting their throats, as I have taken, on several occasions, the 

 stings from the throats of the toads, aft^r seeing the latter 

 capture the bees. As the toads make no fuss, it seems prob- 

 able that their throats are callous against the stings. 



These little pests are a consummate nuisance about the 

 apiary. They enter the hives in winter, mutilate the combs, 



