The Swarm 
mal. I refer to the manner in which 
the bees will dispose of a mouse or a 
slug that may happen to have found its 
way into the hive. The intruder killed, 
they have to deal with the body, which 
will very soon poison their dwelling. 
If it be impossible for them to expel or 
dismember it, they will proceed methodi- 
cally and hermetically to enclose it in a 
veritable sepulchre of propolis and wax, 
which will tower fantastically above the 
ordinary monuments of the city. In one 
of my hives last year I discovered three 
such tombs side by side, erected with 
party-walls, like the cells of the comb, 
so that no wax should be wasted. These 
tombs the prudent, grave-diggers had 
raised over the remains of three snails 
that a child had introduced into the hive. 
As a rule, when dealing with snails, they 
will be content to seal up with wax the 
orifice of the shell. But in this case 
8 113 
