474 ENEMIES OF BEES. 



shall soon, not only be deprived of their serial melody 

 among the leafy branches, but shall lament, more and more, 

 the increase of insects from whose ravages nothing but 

 these birds can protect us. Let those who can enjoy no 

 music made by these winged choristers of the skies, except 

 that of their agonizing screams as they fall before their 

 well aimed weapons, and flutter out their innocent lives be- 

 fore their heartless gaze, drive away, as far as they please 

 from their cruel premises, all the little birds that they can- 

 not destroy, and they will, eventually, reap the fruits of 

 their folly, when the caterpillars weave their destroying 

 webs over their leafless trees, and insects of all kinds riot 

 in glee on their blasted harvests. 



830. Tame chickens eat drones, but not workers. Once 

 we noticed a rooster seemingly eating bees at the entrance 

 of a hive. The bees were then killing their drones (192). 

 On approaching the hive, we saw him carefully pick 

 out a drone from among the bees, shake off a worker -bee 

 which had clung to him and swallow the drone. Young 

 drones can be fed to chickens, who soon learn to eat them 

 greedily, but if a worker bee is found among them they will 

 shake their heads at her, with a knowing look of disgust. 

 Young ducks, if insufliciently fed, will eat bees and are 

 often killed by being stung while swallowing them. 



821. Other enemies. — The toad is a well-known devourer 

 of bees. Sitting, towards evening, under a hive, he will 

 sweep into his mouth, with his swiftly-darting tongue, many 

 a late returning bee, as it falls, heavily laden, to the ground ; 

 but as he is also a diligent consumer of various injurious 

 insects, he can plead equal immunity with the insectivorous 

 birds. 



It may seem amazing that birds and toads can swallow 

 bees without being stung to death. They seldom, however, 

 meddle with any, except those returning fully laden to their 

 hives, or such as, being away from home, are indisposed to 



