EARLY SPRING IN MASSACHUSETTS. 165 
thinks, appear, to me in the attitude of a man 
with his ear inclined, who comes as silently and 
meekly as the morning star which is uncon¬ 
scious of the dawn it heralds ; leading the way 
up the steep as though alone and unobserved in 
its observing, without looking behind. 
March 18, 1852. That is a pretty good story 
told of a London citizen just retired to country 
life on a fortune, who wishing, among other 
novel rustic experiments, to establish a number 
of bee communities, would not listen to the ad¬ 
vice of his under-steward, but asking fiercely 
“ how he could be so thoughtless as to recom¬ 
mend a purchase of what might so easily be pro¬ 
cured on the Downs ? ordered him to hire ten 
women to go in quest of bees the next morning, 
and to prepare hives for the reception of the 
captives. Early the next day the detachment 
started for the Downs, each furnished with a 
tin canister to contain the spoil; and after run¬ 
ning about for hours, stunning the bees with 
blows from their straw bonnets, and encounter¬ 
ing stings without number, secured about thirty 
prisoners who were safely lodged in a hive. 
But as has been the fate of many arduous cam¬ 
paigns, little advantage accrued from all this 
fatigue and danger. Next morning the squire 
sallied forth to visit his new colony. As he ap¬ 
proached, a loud humming assured him that 
