HUNTING — FISHING — WARS AND EXPEDITIONS. S3 



concerning robbers who act in a manner that Man 

 himself would not disavow. It is worthy of remark 

 that it is the most sociable animals who furnish us 

 with the most characteristic examples. 



Bees have a just renown as honest and laborious 

 insects; there are, however, some who depart from 

 the right road, and they do not do it by halves.^ 

 Among Hymenoptera the lazy profess the theory 

 that pollen belongs to all bees, and that stored-up 

 honey does not constitute private property. There- 

 fore, to protest against work and economy, sly 

 methods are employed by a few to utilise as their own 

 private property the resources which Nature has made 

 for all; they adopt the plan of plundering the working 

 insects, and carrying away for themselves the pollen 

 which the others had had the audacity to seek among 

 the flowers. 



To arrive at these ends these clever Hymenoptera 

 employ cunning, and endeavour to pose as workers, 

 They place themselves at the approaches to a hive, 

 and when a worker arrives laden with its burden they 

 advance towards it, caress it with their antenna;, take 

 possession of its pollen as if to relieve it of a burden, 

 and then fly away to their own hive. 



Others adopt less diplomatic proceedings. Some 

 unite to intrude in a badly-guarded hive, and gorge 

 themselves with the honey to which they have no 

 right. Following up this success, they bring accom- 

 plices ; a veritable band of brigands is organised, who 

 have no other industry than to seize honey already 

 manufactured in order to fill their own cells. Their 

 audacious enterprises are not always crowned with 

 success ; they are repulsed in populous and well- 



1 L. BUchner, Aiis d, Geisteskben d, TInere, Berlin, 1879. 



