202 HANDLING BEES. 



stung to death, before his owner could come to the rescue. 

 We "were informed by an eye-witness, that although the car- 

 cass remained unburied two days, neither dogs, crows, 

 buzzards, nor any of the usual scavengers of decaying flesh, 

 attempted to feed upon it, so great was the amount of poison 

 (79) instilled into it by the revengeful bees. 



401. The sting of a bee (78) upon some persons, pro- 

 duces very painful, and even dangerous effects. We have 

 often noticed that, while those whose systems are not sen- 

 sitive to the venom, are rarely molested by bees, they seem 

 to take a malicious pleasure in stinging those upon whom 

 their poison produces the most virulent effect. Something 

 in the secretions of such persons may both provoke the 

 attack and render its consequences more severe. 



The smell of their own poison (87) produces a very irri- 

 tating effect upon bees. A small portion of it offered to them 

 on a stick, will excite their anger. 



" If you are stung," says old Butler, " or any one in the com- 

 pany — yea, though a hee hath stricken but your clothes, espe- 

 cially in hot weather — you were best be packing as fast as you 

 can, for the other bees, smelling the rank flavor of the poison, 

 will come about you as thick as hail." 



Remedies for the Sting of a Bee. 



402. If only a few of the host of cures, so zealously 

 advocated, could be made effectual, there would be little 

 reason to dread being stung. 



The first thing to be done after being stung, is to pull — 

 or rather push — the sting out of the wound as quickly as 

 possible. When torn from the bee, the poison-bag, and all 

 the muscles which control the sting, accompany it ; and it 

 penetrates deeper and deeper into the flesh, injecting con- 

 tinually more and more poison into the wound. If extracted 

 at once, it will very rarely produce any serious consequen- 



