ROBBING. 375 



laborer carrying home the fruits of honest toil, alight boldly 

 upon the entrance-board, or face the guards, knowing well 

 that, if caught by these trusty guardians, its life would hardly 

 be worth insuring. If it can glide by without touching any 

 of the sentinels, those within— taking it for granted that all is 

 right— may permit it to help itself. 



Bees which lose their way, and alight upon a strange hive, 

 can readily be distinguished from these thieving scamps. The 

 rogue, when caught, strives to pull away from his executioners, 

 while the bewildered unfortunate shrinks into the smallest 

 compass, submitting to any fate his captors may award. 



These dishonest bees are the "Jerry Sneaks" of their pro- 

 fession. Constantly creeping through small holes, and daub- 

 ing themselves with honey, their plumes assume a smooth 

 and almost black appearance, just as the hat and garments 

 of a thievish loafer, acquire a "seedy" aspect. 



Dzierzon thinks that these black bees, which Huber has 

 described as so bitterly persecuted by the rest, are nothing 

 more than thieves. Aristotle speaks of "a black bee which is 

 called a thief." 



666. The writer has known the value of an apiary to 

 be so seriously impaired by the bees beginning early in the 

 season to rob each other, that the owner was often tempted 

 to wish that he had never seen a bee. Yet, we should hardly 

 blame them for their robbing propensities. With them, as 

 with men, much depends on the education which they are 

 allowed to receive. Their nature teaches them to hunt for 

 sweets industriously, wherever they can find them, and any 

 sweet, which they can reach, by the most strenuous efforts, is 

 considered by them, at once, as their private property. Were 

 it not for this disposition of the bee, to hunt for sweets 

 everywhere, and take them home, the honey of those colonies 

 that dwell in the woods, and frequently perish during the 

 Winter, would be wasted. The propensity to rob is acquired 

 only during a dearth of honey in the flowers; for bees have 

 a much greater relish for fresh honey, as produced in the 



