424 INSTINCTS OF BEES. 



of implements.* Leather gloves may then be drawn over 

 the hands, or better still, India Eubber gloves, such as are 

 now in very common use, may be worn ; these gloves are 

 impenetrable to the sting of a bee, and yet do not very ma- 

 terially interfere with the operations of the Apiarian. As 

 soon, however, as the bee-keeper acquires confidence and 

 skill, he will much prefer to use nothing but the bee-hat, 

 even at the expense of an occasional sting on his hands. 



I strongly object to the use of woolen gloves or stockings, 

 as every thing rough or hairy, has an extremely irritating in- 

 fluence upon bees. This is probably owing to the fact, that 

 in a state of nature, bears, foxes, and other hairy animals, 

 are their principal enemies. No sooner do they feel the 

 touch of anything rough or hairy, than they instinctively 

 dart out their stings. .^ 



Instincts of Bees. 



The attentive reader cannot have failed to notice, the nu- 

 merous proofs which have been given in the preceding pans 

 of this work, of the refined instincts of the honey-bee. It 

 is impossible always to draw the line between instinct and 

 reason, and very often, some of the actions of animals and 

 insects appear to be the results of a process of reasoning, 

 apparently almost the same with the exercise of the reason- 

 ing faculty in man. " There is this difference," says Mr. 

 ^pence, " between intellect in man, and the rest of the 

 animal creation. Their intellect teaches them to follow 

 the lead of their senses, and to make such use of the exter- 



* When this hat, which is rapidly coming into fashion among bee- 

 keepers, is put on, and the cape carefully tacked under the coat, which 

 should then be buttoned up, the Apiarian may operate upon his bees, 

 without any risk of being stung, except on his hands. 



