124 
FOLLOWING THE BEE LINE 
cross-line is made, the point of its intersection with 
the first or initial line will be the place where the 
bees live. For, as Mr. Vaughan says, “They never 
tell lies or make false moves.” 
He adds, “When the colony is located, carve your 
initials distinctly into the bark on the tree trunk. If 
some bee-hunter has found the colony and marked 
the tree before you find it, it is courtesy among bee- 
hunters to place your initials below those already 
upon the tree, if you are not vexed—and you should 
not be.” 
I have taken bees and honey from bee trees, but 
I have never yet cut down a bee tree. They are 
apt to be large and need to be felled by an expert. 
My first bee tree was an old spreading chestnut. 
I had marked it as my own, but when I stood beside 
it, ax in hand, its girth daunted me. So my brother 
George—who successfully undertakes almost any¬ 
thing from clipping a lion’s nails to addressing 
formidable audiences in Chatauqua tents—came to 
my rescue. 
Most respectfully and admiringly I watched my 
stalwart woodsman-brother cut into the trunk with 
quick, sure strokes. Down crashed the tree, and re¬ 
gardless of reassuring lore on the subject, I could 
hardly believe that clouds of wildly infuriated bees 
