94 The Honey-Makers 



Isaaco's people, being in search of honey, disturbed a large 

 swarm of bees, which attacked the men and beasts of the 

 company with such violence as to send them flying in every 

 direction for safety. The severity of this assault may be 

 conceived from the fact, that six asses and one horse were 

 lost — two, if not three, of the asses being literally stung to 

 death, and the other animals being never recovered after 

 their dispersion. Many of the people were seriously stung 

 about the face and hands." 



Sometimes bees war with each other, two swarms taking 

 a fancy to the same hive, or one swarm attacking another 

 in order to steal its honey. These battles are at times ter- 

 rific, lasting several hours or even days, the slain strewing 

 the field of battle in great numbers. 



In itself the sting of a bee is a small enough object, and 

 does mischief out of all proportion to its size or appearance. 

 It would seem as though the anger of the bee was some- 

 how conveyed to that organ and not only was the offender 

 pierced by a pointed instrument but also by the bursting 

 rage, rancor and hatred that at the moment possesses the 

 litde termagant. And this in a sense is true, for in a sac 

 oblong, white in appearance, and not much larger than a 

 pin head is stored up a vile fluid composed largely of 

 formic acid, and an organic poisonous principle. This sac 

 communicates with the hollow sting, and into the wound 

 made by that weapon the acrid poison is viciously pumped. 

 The sting is located at the extremity of the abdomen, 

 and the bee's abdomen, like that of 

 other insects, is, as we know, com- 

 posed of horny rings, each ring 

 made of several parts. These rings 

 are joined to each other by flexible membranes, and fit 

 together so that they may be drawn out and retracted some- 

 thing like the parts of a telescope. 



