Fair play., 1883-07-14
Cane Bees and kafirS.

keep two apiaries ut considerable
distance from each other, writes Cape
correspondent of London Nature. Il
one OF which my gardener, a colored
MALAY. attends, and to the other Il
Kaiir laborcr. At first they We're gen
orally stung when passing too near the
entrance Of hive. but now they pas
and repass with impunity. They work
with tine bees more frequently than
do, and vet when either of them assist,
me in his own apiary he receives more
stings than l do. This L ascribc to the
gardener using snuff in his moutL
very freely. and To the Katirs very pro
nounced odor. To test the recognition
of the bees. once requested the Mala,
and the kaiir to change clothes with
each other and wear thick wells over
their heads and faces. They did so,
and assisted me first in the apiarics tt
which they were respectively in the
habit of attending. with the result that
they received no stings, but when either
began TO work with the bees in the
apiary he usually did not attend to. he
was so stung about the hands that he had
to beat hasiv retreat, while remained
uninjured, although not veiled. The
two men are almost the same size and
build, so that if the bees had any power
OF general recognition they would prob
ably las some of the other servants
did have mistaken the one for the
other can. therefore. only account
for the conduct of the bees by the un-
pleasant, and to them strange, odor.
At my request the gardener discontin-
ued the use of snuff in his mouth fo,
some time. and during that time
he was not stung more than l was
while working with the bees: but if the
Katir stands before the entrance of an
unaccustomed hive he is remorsele>sly
stung. may add that Cape bees arc
very much more vicious than European
ones seem to be, and that. if not skill
fully handled, they will unmerci-
full sting their most familiar friends.
On one occasion bunch of carrots wa.
left near the gardener apiary. which
so enragcd the bees that they stung him
and everyone else they came across.
and very nearly Stuny cow 10 death
nj distance of aborA L hundred yards
from the apiary; and on another occa-
sion horse. still wet with sweat, tres
passed too near a hive, with the result
that the whole apiary was in an uproar.
and some of my children and servant
were stung. the chief victim being Il
Malay girl, who used apply quantities
of scented pomaium To her hair and
who was severely stung on the head.
Mr.. Romanes continues thus: again.
many instances might be quoted. such
As that given by Gueringius. who. al
lowed a species of wasp. native to
Natal, to build in the doorpostS Of his
house. and who observed that, although
he often interfcred with the nest. he
was only once stiug. and this by 4
Young wasp: while no katir could
venture to approach the door. much less
pass through it, 1t does not appear
whether any white stranger was ever
stung. and the only Inference that could
be reasonably drawn from the conduct
of the wasps is that they diSliked the
odor of Katir>. which. As is well known.
is peculiarly disa-reeabie. II par
ticular Katir had been in the habit OF
passing through the door. the wasp'
would probably have become accus-
toned to his scent. in the same way as
a swarm of bees. upon the testimony OF
Sir John Lubbock. became accustomed
tothe scent Of eau-de-cologne repeatedly
dropped at the entrance OF their hive,