344 ROBBING. 



few minutes the outside of the hive will be black with the 

 greedy cormorants, and they will not abandon it, until they 

 have explored every crevice, and attempted to force them- 

 selves through the smallest openings. Before they assail a 

 neighboring colony, they should be sprinkled with cold 

 water, and then instead of fueling courage for new crimes, 

 they will be glad to escape, thoroughly drenched, to their 

 proper homes. Unless the bees that are shut up, can, as in 

 my hives, have an abundance of air, it will be necessary to 

 carry them at once into a dark and cool place. Early next 

 morning, the condition of the hive should be examined, and 

 the proper remedies applied ; if it is weak or queenless, or 

 if its condition is past remedy, it should at once be broken 

 up, and the bees united to another stock. 



I have been credibly informed of an exceedingly curious 

 kind of robbing among bees, which appears to be a very 

 close approximation to the story of the Kilkenny cats ! 

 Two colonies, both in good condition, seemed determined to 

 appropriate each other's labors : neither made any resistance 

 to the entrance of the plundering bees ; but each seemed too 

 busily intent upon its own dishonest gains, to notice that the 

 work of subtraction kept equal pace with that of addition. 

 Alas I that there should be so much of equally short-sighted 

 policy among human beings. How many individuals, commu- 

 nities and nations, are seeking to thrive by attempting to prey 

 upon the labors of others, instead of doing all that they can, 

 by industry and enterprise, to add to the common stock ! I 

 have never, in my own experience, met wiih an instance of 

 such silly pilfering as the one described ; but I have known a 

 colony having no mature queen to be carrying on their la- 

 bors, while others were stealing much more than the occu- 

 pants of the hive were gathering, without the rightful owners 

 being at all aware of their rascality. 



