BIRDS. 503 



equivalent to the lock put upon the stable door after the 

 horse has been stolen; or, to attempts to banish the chill of 

 death by warm covering, or artificial heat. 



The prudent bee-keeper, remembering that "prevention is 

 better than cure," will take pains to destroy the larvae of the 

 moth as early in the season as he can, while swarming his 

 bees. The destruction of a single female worm may thus be 

 more effectual than the slaughter of hundreds at a later 

 period. 



816. Mice. It seems almost incredible that such puny 

 animals as mice should venture to invade a hive of bees; and 

 they often slip in when cold compels the bees to retreat from 

 the entrance. Having once gained admission, they build a 

 warm nest in their comfortable abode, eat up the honey and 

 such bees as are too much chilled to offer resistance,* and fill 

 the premises with such a stench, that the bees, on the arrival 

 of warm weather, often abandon their polluted home. The 

 entrance should never be made deep enough to allow mice to 

 pass (348). 



817. Birds. Very few birds are fond of bees. The 

 King-bird (Tyrannus CaroUnensis) which devours them by 

 scores, is said— when he can have his choice— to eat only the 

 drones; but as he catches bees on the blossoms— which are 

 never frequented by these fat and lazy gentlemen — the in- 

 dustrious workers must often fall a prey to his fatal snap. 

 There is good reason to suspect that this gourmand can dis- 

 tinguish between an empty bee in search of food, and one 

 which, returning laden to its fragrant home, is in excellent 

 condition to glide — already sweetened— down his voracious 

 maw. 



818. The bee-keepers of England complain of the spar- 

 rows, which they accuse of eating bees. If these birds add 

 this mischief to so many others of which they are guilty, the 

 bee-keepers should find some means of getting rid of them. 



• In eating bees, the mice eat the head and corselet, but not the 

 abdomen, probably because of the smell of the poison sack. 



