118 BEE-KEEPING FOR PROFIT 
they draw for nectar. Finches and sparrows 
are the worst offenders in this respect. 
A bird that often makes a direct attack on 
bees, however, is the blue-tit, an insect-eating 
bird. When the winter is severe, and insects 
rare, the blue-tit will venture to tackle bees. 
Its methods afford a curious instance of the 
adaptability of wild creatures to circumstances. 
The general proceeding is for the blue-tit 
to alight on the front of a hive and tap gently 
with its beak at the entrance. The tapping 
attracts the attention of the inmates, and one 
is usually curious enough to investigate its 
cause. The bird seizes it immediately, flies off 
with it to a convenient branch, and, holding 
it down with one claw, with a quick motion 
abstracts the sting organs. That source of 
danger removed, ‘‘little Billy Bluecap ”’ pro- 
ceeds to peck off the head—which he likewise 
discards—and to lay open the thorax, the 
contents of which are all that he requires. 
From this, it is evident that blue-tits have 
developed an epicurean taste with regard to 
bees, and, when one has acquired it, it is 
astonishing the number of bees it will demolish 
to satisfy its cravings. 
When hives are liable to such raids, per- 
forated zinc, or small strips of glass, fixed on 
