FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



219 



the robbers made no attempt below — indeed I suppose 

 they would have been promptly repulsed if they had — ■ 

 so after trying for a time to get in the place I had closed, 

 they gave up and left the hive. 



PLAYING BEES AND ROBBERS. 



I think I can tell by carefully looking at bees when 

 flying with unusual commotion at the entrance of a hive, 

 whether it is a case of robbing or bees at play, but I am 

 not sure I could tell someone else the difference in ap- 

 pearance. Looking at bees at play in Fig. 82, and com- 

 paring with Fig. 81, there appears little difference. In 

 actual life there will be seen the same excited eagerness 

 in each case. 



Fig. 75.—Rohher-Cloth. 



The time of day helps to decide. During the mid- 

 dle of the day, say from noon till the middle of the after- 



