He hath a bee in his bonnet lug. 
—Scotch Saying 
vi 
BEEKEEPERS IN STRANGE PLACES 
NYONE who handles bees much cannot fail to 
3 -be impressed with the intricate and involved 
form of their life and the simplicity and har¬ 
mony which nevertheless—and most marvelously— 
prevails. 
I have heard their colony life described bitterly as 
feminism run amuck, but I think the criticism some¬ 
what harsh, for though the government is in the 
hands of the females it is well-ordered. All seem 
happy, and contentment is the rule; save when rob¬ 
ber bees, or a careless beekeeper, try to break into the 
hive, or when in the autumn the drones are killed 
ruthlessly. But those are exceptional occasions, and 
the critics, usually cynics and often males, fail to 
dilate on the unmistakable joy bees take in their 
work. 
The ears of a beekeeper readily distinguish dif¬ 
ferences in the sounds made by his bees. . . . 
The steady undisturbed hum ... the angry, 
combative zzzzzzzz which makes the beekeeper in- 
61 
