I I o The Honey-Makers 



times cover their hands with certain aromatic substances, 

 one of the most popular of which is oil of wintergreen ; 

 when for some reason best known to themselves the irate 

 little insects discovering the foreign substance with their 

 sensitive feelers decline to add their own aroma to it. 



But better even than wintergreen oil is the advice given 

 by Butler : — 



" If thou wilt have the favor of thy bees, that they sting 

 thee not, thou must avoid such things as offend them : 

 thou must not be unchaste or uncleanly ; for impurity and 

 sluttiness (themselves being most chaste and neat) they 

 utterly abhor ; thou must not come among them smelling 

 of sweat, or having a stinking breath, caused either through 

 eating of leeks, onions, garlick, and the like, or by any 

 other means, the noisesomeness whereof is corrected by a 

 cup of beer ; thou must not be given to surfeiting or 

 drunkenness ; thou must not come puffing or blowing unto 

 them, neither hastily stir among them, nor resolutely defend 

 thyself when they seem to threaten thee ; but softly mov- 

 ing thy hand before thy face, gently put them by ; and 

 lastly, thou must be no stranger unto them. In a word, 

 thou must be chaste, cleanly, sweet, sober, quiet, and 

 familiar ; so will they love thee, and know thee from all 

 others. When nothing hath angered them, one may safely 

 walk along by them ; but if he stand still before them in 

 the heat of the day, it is a marvel but one or other spying 

 him, will have a cast at him." 



The advantage of following the above advice is that 

 whether it has the desired effect upon the bees or not, it 

 cannot fail, in most parts, to be of benefit to the one who 

 practises it. 



Further, Cotton thus quaintly and kindly advises us con- 

 cerning the handling of bees : — 



" If you want to do anything to a single bee, catch him 



