142 BEE-FARMING. 



Otherwise the Hymettus is very bare on its declivities, 

 and in some of the dales are w^ild olives, v/ith shrubs of 

 myrtle, laurel, and oleander. The sea-pine grovirs on its 

 summit very imperfectly, but near the monastery it is 

 pretty. Besides this, can be found hyacinths, amaryllis 

 lutea, dark violet crocus, &c., from all of which the bees 

 extract their sweets." 



SAGACITY OF BEES. 



We adopt the word " sagacity " in preference to the 

 word " instinct" as expressing our meaning more clearly. 



The following facts may be familiar to some of our 

 readers, still we may be excused for bringing them before 

 them. 



We have already cited the instance of a slug having 

 entered a hive and been stung to death by the bees, after 

 which, being unable to dislodge it, they covered it all over 

 with propolis. 



Bevan states, " A very striking illustration of the 

 reasoning power of bees occurred to my friend Mr. 

 Walrond. Inspecting his bee-boxes at the end of Oc- 

 tober, 1817, he perceived that a centre comb burthened 

 with honey had separated from its attachment, and was 

 leaning against another comb, so as to prevent the passage 

 of the bees between them. This accident excited great 

 activity in the colony, but its nature could not be ascer- 

 tained at the time. At the end of a week, the weather 

 being cold, and the bees clustered together, Mr. W. 

 observed through the window of the box that they had 

 constructed two horizontal pillars between the combs 

 alluded to, and had removed so much of the honey and 

 wax from the top of each as to allow the passage of a 

 bee J in about ten days more, there was an uninterrupted 



