Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-10-21

providing for the future welfare Of the
bees, and they seldom hesitate to cut
down tree as soon as it is found.
At this season it requires more science
than in the spring, and the disappoint
ments Of the chase are many. One
afternoon last week, at the end of their
days work, little party set out from
Newfoundland for the woods near Oak
Ridge. They were on-professional
bee hunters. Among them were David
Sutherland, Alfred Kimbal, and George
Dixon. They stopped just in the edge
of an oak coppice, and commenced
their operations. 1t was idle to stand
over thistleblows or buttercups to look
for bees, for the air was cool, and it
needed stronger inducements than Or
binary perfume to attract the insects.
Kimbal drew from his coat pocket a
small tin plate, placed it on the stump
of long>dead bee tree in the middle
of natural opening in the woods. On
this he placed handful of sngai' and
set it or fire. Mingled with the sugar
were few flakes of honeycomb, pros
ducing no perceptible effect upon
human nostrils, but giving, the hunters
said, an additional inducement to the
bees that was always successfully Sc
ductive The sugar melted before the
flames, turning into bubbling, drawn
syrup that could scarcely be seen
through the curling smoke. The hunts
ers stood few PAGES away, generally
behind neighboriug trees, and watched
the pan steadily.
"There comes the first gull, said
Sutherland in a loud, excited whisper,
| as his quick eye detected up among the
tree tops keen-scented bee, that was
circling around in the fragrant clouds
of vapor, seeming bewildered by their
extent, and as though she thought
they must rise from some ten acre
patch of sunhowers. But the fire
grew faint and fainter, and the smoke
fell low and lower, and following it
closely in it's fall came the bee. w hen
the flames died out, the bee was only
few feet above the pan of charred
sugar, and soon dropped upon it. A
little of the syrup had been preserved
from total black dryness, and upon this
the bee feasted Others had been at
tracted later and after similar evolutions
settled by her side, and commenced
the work of gathering their harvest.
They crowded each other about the
most succulent morsels and buzzed
busily above the pan, sometimes seem-
ing to feed while on the wing, but
with their noses buried deep in the
sugar. Occasionally one arose and
flew away, but without attracting more
than the passing attention of the eager
watchers, for though the success Of the
capture depends upon accurately noting
the direction in which the bee flies, it
is necessary not to be misled by those
idle bees that have stopped for lunch
merely, not for load. The lunchers
buzz around in listless manner as
they feed, and when they go away they
fly in rambling, hap hazard course
that gives no clue to their homes but
the workers with their thighs heavy
with wax and pollen, shoot straight up
like carrier pigeons, make few regular
circles while they take observations,
aed then dart off straight as die for
the destination.
Several minutes passed before the
hunters. by rapid start and ali Intent
upward gaze, showed that laden bee
had risen for flight The little insect
went straight up until it could com
mand view above the tree tops and
could scarcely be seen by the party
below. There she paused a moment
before choosing her course, and while
she was there poised the hunters so
ranged tn amselves that at least one of
them could see which way she might
fly, in whatever direction that might
be; for by standing SO that certain
relation between the range of vision
the conrse of the bee and the angle of
light is secured, steady eye can keep
bee in sight for distance remarkably
long. For this particular bee George
Dixon stood in the lucky position, just
outside the coppice, and long after all
others in the party had lost the trail,
his straining eye was bent intently
westward. In time he, too, could see
the bee no longer; but before that
time came he had taken sight straight
over the top of distant tree that
would lead him direct to the bee 9
hive.
Before following the track the party
returned to their old positions, crouch-
ing behind the tree until another bee
arose.-That one, too, they sighted, but
she flew toward the south. Her couse
was noted by Kimhal and the watching
was resumed and continued until the last
bee was gone. OF nine bees that arose
| 6,o Aoxy rastward in tho ooitrsa marx ed