262 
THE IIIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
skillful policeman. Its sneaking look, and nervous, guilty 
agitation, once seen, can never be mistaken. It does 
not, like the laborer carrying home the fruits of honest 
toil, alight boldly upon the entrance-board, or face the 
guards, knowing well that, if caught by these trusty 
guardians, its life would hardly be worth insuring. If it 
can glide by without touching any of the sentinels, those 
within — taking for granted that all is right — usually per- 
mit it to help itself. 
Bees which lose their way, and alight upon a strange 
hive, can be readily distinguished from these thieving 
scamps. The rogue, when caught, strives to pull away 
from his executioners, while the bewildered unfortunate 
shrinks into the smallest compass, submitting to any fato 
his captors may award. 
These dishonest bees are the “ Jerry Sneaks ” of their 
profession, and, after following it for a time, lose all taste 
for honest pursuits. Constantly creeping through small 
holes, and daubing themselves with honey, their plumes 
assume a smooth and almost black* appearance, just as 
the hat and garments of a thievish loafer acquire a 
“seedy” aspect. “ Honesty is as good policy” among 
bees as among men, and, if the pilfering bee only knew 
its true interests, it would be safely laboring amid the 
smiling fields, instead of risking its life for a taste of for- 
bidden sweets. 
It is said that bees occasionally act the part of highway 
robbers, by waylaying a humble-bee as it returns to its 
nest with a well-stored sac. Seizing the honest fellow, 
they give him to understand that they want his honey. 
If they killed him, they would never be able to extract 
* Dzicrzon thinks that these black bees, which Huber has described os so bitterly 
persecuted by the rest, ore nothing inoro than thioves. Aristotle speaks of *' a 
black bee which is called a thiqf? 
