THE PEKFECT SOCIALISM 75 



that bees, at least, have a sense of property. When 

 the robbed swarm is overcome and the queen killed the 

 bees will desert and join the robbers, and help carry 

 their own stores to the hive of the marauders. This 

 shows that it is a matter of property and not individual 

 animosity which inspires them, otherwise they would 

 fight to the death. Bee hunters say that when taking 

 up a bee-tree, or a beehive for that matter, the bees 

 will fight furiously until their comb is actually broken ; 

 then they give up, and, defeated and despairing, cluster 

 on the broken comb, making no further effort to save 

 themselves. There is something touching in the story 

 of these brave little defenders of stores and home, and 

 their utter discom-agement when they see their treasure 

 broken and ruined. "Taking up" bee-trees and bee- 

 hives is a barbarous performance, and does not redound 

 to the honor of man ; and the thought of it quite recon- 

 ciles one to all of the bee-stings inflicted upon human 

 beings since time began. 



Another sign of the sense of ownership of stored pro- 

 vision is the care given it by the harvester ants of 

 Texas and India. These wise harvesters store their 

 seeds in underground granaries for winter use. After 

 the rains come, the grain, if let alone, would naturally 

 germinate or become mouldy. The ants comprehend 

 this, and when good weather comes again they bring 



