SUPERSTITIONS RESPECTING BEES. 169 



towards the hive, evidently quite tired and v^eary, tw^o of 

 them missed the entrance and dropped to the ground. 

 No sooner did they touch the soil than they wrere, as quick 

 as thought, conveyed down the holes we had previously 

 observed. Not liking this destruction, and feeling sym- 

 pathy for the worn-out and tired bees, I procured a shovel, 

 determined to unearth the thief and murderer whatever it 

 was ; for the bees had disappeared too rapidly for me to 

 make out the nature of the depredator. Digging down 

 a few inches I found a blackbeetle or cockroach — I am 

 not confident which, as it was injured with the shovel, 

 but I believe it to have been the former insect. How- 

 ever, I have kept a strict watch since, and whenever I have 

 discovered these sly burrows I pour down a few drops of 

 carbolic acid, which not only destroys the inmate but 

 renders the home for a long time tenantless. I was not 

 aware until recently that dragon-flies destroyed bees. 

 Standing in the garden of a friend who owns a large 

 apiary, I saw several large dragon-flies flying about. 

 " Watch that fellow," sharply exclaimed my friend. I 

 did watch, and saw him catch several bees as they were 

 returning to their hive heavily laden, and bear them to a 

 large chestnut tree, where he speedily completed his work 

 and returned to the slaughter again. This was repeated 

 several times, greatly, I confess, to my astonishment. The 

 garden was close to a marshy tract of land. This may, 

 perhaps, account for the appearance of these enemies, as I 

 never noticed them near my own apiary. 



SUPERSTITIOUS NOTIONS RESPECTING 

 BEES. 



One would have thought that in this nineteenth 

 century these foolish notions respecting our industrious 



