254 
TriE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 
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 insective- 
rous birds. 
It may seem amazing that birds and toads can swallow 
bees without being stung to death. They seldom, how- 
ever, meddle with any, except those returning fully laden 
to their hives, or such as, being away from home, are in- 
disposed to resent an injury. As they are usually swal- 
lowed without being crushed, they do not instinctively 
thrust out their stings, and before they can recover from 
their surprise, they are safely entombed. 
Bears are excessively fond of honey ; and in countries 
where they abound, great precautions are needed to 
prevent them from destroying the hives. 
In that quaint but admirably common-sense work, 
entitled, “ The Femenine Monarchic, written out of 
Experience, by Charles Butler • printed in the year 
1609,” we have an amusing adventure, related by a Mus- 
covite ambassador to Rome: 
“ A neighbor of mine, saith he, in searching in the 
woods for honey, slipped down into a great hollow tree, 
and there sunk into a lake of honey up to the breast ; 
where — when he had stuck fast two days, calling and cry- 
ing out in vain for help, because nobody in the meanwhile 
came nigh that solitary place — at length, when he was 
insect race, forgive the trespasses of such birds, as we forgive those of ents and 
dogs. The respect shown to birds by any people, seems to bear a certain ratio to 
the antiquity of the nation. Hence, the sacredness with which they are regarded 
in Japan, where the population is so dense that the inhabitants would feel that they 
could ill afford to divide the produce of their fields with the birds, unless they 
were convinced of their usefulness .” — Atlantic Monthly for 1859, p. 825 
