474 ENEMIES OF BEES. 
, 
shall soon, not only be deprived of their serial melody 
among the leafy branches, but shall lament, more and more, 
the increase of insects from whose ravages nothing but 
these birds can protect us. Let those who can enjoy no 
music made by these winged choristers of the skies, except 
that of their agonizing screams as they fall before their 
well aimed weapons, and flutter out their innocent lives be- 
fore their heartless gaze, drive away, as far as they please 
from their cruel premises, all the little birds that they can- 
not destroy, and they will, eventually, reap the fruits of 
their folly, when the caterpillars weave their destroying 
webs over their leafless trees, and insects of all kinds riot 
in glee on their blasted harvests. 
820. Tame chickens eat drones, but not workers. Once 
we noticed a rooster seemingly eating bees at the entrance 
of ahive. The bees were then killing their drones (192). 
On approaching the hive, we saw him carefully pick 
out a drone from among the bees, shake off a worker -bee 
which had clung to him and swallow the drone. Young 
drones can be fed to chickens, who soon learn to eat them 
greedily, but if a worker bee is found among them they will 
shake their heads at her, with a knowing look of disgust. 
Young ducks, if insufficiently fed, will eat bees and are 
often killed by being stung while swallowing them. 
821. Orner ENEmrEs.—The toad is a well-known devourer 
of bees. Sitting, towards evening, under a hive, he will 
sweep into his mouth, with his swiftly-darting tongue, many 
a late returning bee, as it falls, heavily laden, to the ground; 
but as he is also a diligent consumer of various injurious 
insects, he can plead equal immunity with the insectivorous 
birds. 
It may seem amazing that birds and toads can swallow 
bees without being stung to death. They seldom, however, 
meddle with any, except those returning fully laden to their 
hives, or such as, being away from home, are indisposed to 
