lOo BEE-FJRMING. 



single pair of fly-catchers destroy in the length of a day. 

 Each bird in the early part of the day will return to its 

 nest, carrying chiefly a mouthful of insects for its un- 

 fledged young, not less than twenty times in an hour. 

 'I'his can scarcely be credited by some persons, yet " seeing 

 is believing." 



The lively little tom-tit has again and again been 

 charged as a bee-murderer. Doubtless there is some truth 

 in the charge, for Lapoutre, a French naturalist, says, — 

 " I saw under a tree, in which there was a tom-tit's 

 nest, a surprising quantity of the scaly parts of bees, 

 which this bird had dropped from the nest." I scarcely, 

 however, believe what Bufixin places on record. In one 

 of his works it is stated, " with its beak and claws it pro- 

 vokes the bees to come out, and then immediately seizes 

 them." I have seen it on several occasions about the 

 hives, going beneath the pedestal and poking its nose in 

 every nook and corner that it could detect, but I feel 

 assured it was only to pick up as food spiders and other 

 insects, for the bees at the time were going to and fro in 

 . hundreds, yet it never molested them ; this to me was 

 sufficient proof that he has often been unjustly charged. 

 I was much pleased with a letter in The Times some years 

 ago, and my readers will, no doubt, pardon its repro- 

 duction : — 



" Sir, — In reference to your interesting letters on 

 bees, in The Times of last Thursday, I take leave ta 

 explain to you how I prevent tom-tits and other birds 

 from molesting my industrious little friends, if they should 

 feel so inclined. I affix before the door of the hive a 

 piece of wire-work resembling the half of a round mouse- 

 trap, and by this very simple means a bee is permitted to 

 return to its house, or take wing as it pleases, without 

 Jet, stop, or stay from this wicked hypocrite and his com- 

 panions. This precaution being taken, I endeavour to 



