338 FEEDING BEES. 



until he has seen a confectioner's shop assailed by myriads 

 of hungry bees. We have seen thousands strained out from 

 the syrups in which they had perished; thousands more alight- 

 ing even upon the boiling sweets; the floors covered and win- 

 dows darkened with bees, some crawling, others flying, and 

 others still, so completely besmeared as to be able neither to 

 crawl nor fly — not one in ten able to carry home its ill-gotten 

 spoils, and yet the air filled with new hosts of thoughtless 

 comers. 



We once furnished a candy-shop, in the vicinity of our 

 apiary, with wire-gauze windows and doors, after the bees 

 had commenced their depredations. On finding themselves 

 excluded, they alighted on the wire by thousands, fairly 

 squealing with vexation as they vainly. tried to force a pas- 

 sage through the meshes.* Baffled in every effort, they at- 

 tempted to descend the chimney, reeking with sweet odors, 

 even although most who entered it fell with scorched wings 

 into the fire, and it became necessary to put wire-gauze over 

 the top of the chimney also. 



618. As we have seen thousands of bees destroyed in 

 such places, thousands more hopelessly struggling in the de- 

 luding sweets, and yet increasing thousands, all unmindful of 

 their danger, blindly hovering over and alighting on them, 

 how often have they reminded us of the infatuation of those 

 who abandon themselves to the intoxicating cup ! Even al- 

 though such persons see the miserable victims of this degrad- 

 ing vice falling all around them into premature graves, they 

 still press madly on, trampling, as it were, over their dead 

 bodies, that they too may sink into the same abyss, and their 

 sun also go down in hopeless gloom. 



The avaricious bee that plunges recklessly into the tempt- 

 ing sweets, has ample time to bewail her folly. Even if she 



• Manufacturers of candies and syrups will find it to their Interest 

 to fit such guards to their premises ; for, if only one bee in a hundred 

 escapes with its load, considerable loss will be incurred in the course of 

 the season. 



