Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-09-27
ROGUES AND 1MPOSTORS IN THE
ANIMAL KINGDOM.


We find this pleasant little sketch in an
English literary journal;
"Waterton has vindicatcd the reputation OF
certain aspersed animals, and set their char
Hctcrs right with the world. lie has shown
that the Soth is an active creature IN its way
that the goat sucker is no thief, but deVour-
or OF the insects that tease the goat that
the woodpcckcr preys upon the worms that
eat into trees. But the error does not all he
ON tho side Of defamation. and as some crea-
tnres have bad name which they do not de-
serve. 50 others have good name no less I'M
merited The lion, for instance, is poltroon
that only exercises its mighty strength under
the stimulus of hunger. The seat Of his
courage is his empty belly. The dog we praise
for his fidelity and sagacity. overlooking bis
matchless bravery, which should make him
the type Of courage instead of the lion.
In the animal kingdom detectives arc at
work making their discoveries, and exposing
hvpocrites and impostors Among these who
would have suspected the bee to have a very
prominent place What creature has enjoy
ed higher reputation than the bee in all
ages He has been the type Of honest in
dustry, and mankind has been exhorted to
take pattern by him.
1t turns out that this much-extollcd busy
bee is an arrant thief when he has the oppor-
unity, and that he only labors honestly
when he cannot steal wholesale. A broom.
seller asked a brother Of the trade to tell him
frankly how he contrived to undersell him
for said he, will not disguise from you that
steal all the materials of my brooms. All
replied the other, but know a trick better
than yours, for steal my brooms ready made
aud can therefore ask lower price for them
The bee is like this broom-seller whenever
the opportunity occurs lie steals his sugar
ready made. The ERfom0iogicdi gazette OF
Stettin. gives the following curious account
of the bees offences against property;
The extensive meadows on the banks Of
the Odor naturally induced many farmers to
keep bees but these tUise insects seem TO pre-
fer obtaining their honey with as little labor
as possible. and have for years past been in
the habit of frequenting two sugar reineries
at no great distance. Under such favorable
circumstances the yield of honey was very
great. and the farmers came at last to keep
ten or even twenty times more hives than
formerly The sugar rofners, however, after
long. finding the bees very troublesome, made
the discovery that they were not only very
annoying bat rather expensive visitors, and
accordingly adopted means to destroy them.
doors and shutters, and then opening one
small window. to which the bees Immediately
flew and were killed in thousands by jet Of
boiling water. The dead bees were after
wards thrown into the boilers to extract the
sugar they had appropriated. 1t has been
estimated that as many as 100000 have
been thus destroyed in year, and that about
l,200f worth OF sugar had been extracted
from them. 1t is remarkable fact, that the
fined owing to the pungent smell of the plant,
but cane sugar was equally acceptable to
them, whether refined or not
The bees are here called wise insects foi
obtaining their honey with as little labor as
possible, and perhaps if there was journal
bearing the same relation to man that the
En'omoiogicoi does to insects, our thieves
would be commended in it for taking the
same short cut to property. The law for the
bees is, however, it must be confessed, rather
hard and rigorous, and smacks of our past
criminal code. when stealing in a dwelling
house to the value Of forty shillings was pun
lshed with death. Death and restitution af-
forwards might satisfy the vengeance of the
sugar-rchning mind without so cruea method
of destruction as the Jet Of boiling water
lf bees had voice for appeal they woul'
make out strong case against the sanguina
~ criminal law that Furnishes their little rob
berries with death, and by the most barbarou
means avenges stealing in dwelling hous
to the value of francs worth Of sugar wit
the death Of nearly ten thousand bees.