170 The Honey-Makers 



But the bee-eating feats of the titmouse, who is satisfied 

 with ten or a dozen honeyed morsels for breakfast, pale 

 before the superior power of the American king-bird, or 

 bee-martin, from the craw of one of which was once taken a 

 hundred and seventy-one bees ! They had been swallowed 

 so quickly that many were still alive ; and when they were 

 laid upon a blanket in the sun, " fifty-four of them returned 

 to life, licked themselves clean, and joyfully went back to 

 their hives." 



The woodpecker is said to insert its tongue into any 

 seductive crack in the hive and draw forth the honey, 

 though it is not accused of taking the bees as well. 



The bird known as the " bee-eater " bears its guilt in its 

 name, while from the time of Aristotle the swallow has 

 borne the reproach of being a bee-eater ; and an old 

 Greek poet was moved to make it the following well-known 

 address, — 



"Attic maiden, honey-fed, 

 Chirping warbler, bear'st away 

 Thou the busy buzzing bee, 

 To thy callow brood a prey ? 

 Warbler, thou a warbler seize ? 

 Winged, one with lovely wings ? 

 Guest thyself, by summer brought. 

 Yellow guest whom summer brings 

 Wilt not quickly let it drop ? 

 ' T is not fair, indeed, 't is wrong. 

 That the ceaseless warbler should 

 Die by mouth of ceaseless song." 



In the East Indies and Southern Africa dwells a clever 

 little bird that, greatly desiring honey or young bees, 

 yet fearing to be stung, points out the bee-tree to the hunters, 

 receiving as reward a part of the spoil. 



Toads, frogs, and tree-frogs are not averse to a meal of 

 bees, and Aristotle accuses the toad of great duplicity in 



