The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-01-17

These insects Objeoe - Ne Kept b. =
Quarrsisoms Family.
There Is probably no insect IN which
mankind takes more interest than the
bee. says the London Standard. and
there certainly Is none around which
so many superstitions have clustered
from time immemoral. The impor-
tant part the busy little bee has ever
played In our domestic life. how its
deeds have been sung by our poets and
moralized on by our preachers. 1t Is
not proposed to diIate on here: but
some Of the current superstitions con-
nected with IT, though very amusing.
may not be generally known. Pri-
narily. qnarrelsome people. IL inclined
TO live In the country and keep bees.
are warned 10 mend their WAYS. or
their hives will soou become deserted.
Bees may be. and we believe are. very
pugnacious among themselves, but
they strongly object. SO say tho country
folk. 10 belong TO contentious house,
hold. A qucrulous family. we are as
surcd, will get no honey, keep rs maay
bees rs they may. Another good ex-
ample set by them Is that they object
to thrive IL dishonesty como by; on
the contrary. they forthwith pine away
aud die. thereby showing highly
commendable respect for the eighth
commandment. And IL they must not
be stolen. neither must they bc sold.
To sell them for money is considered
most unlucky proceeding. but they
may be bartcred away. aud all will 20
right.
A bushel Of corn was always consid-
cred fair equivalent for swarm. or
small pig would be taken in ex-
change. So long as the bees are bar
tered they are happy. but to DO guilty
OF selling them Is a grievous omen in
deed, thap which nothing can be more
dreadful evidently their self-respect
is touched. and they refuse to work for
an owner who has bought them into
slavery. Their sympathy with man
kind and his troubles were shown in
variety OF ways. 1t is common say
ing in Hampshire that bees do not sue
coed at all Ia storing up honey when
ever there are wars abroad. A large
bee keeper says he has constantly
noticed this during the last European
wars, though ordinary people will re-
fleet that they can not remember any
great scarcity of honey at those par
ticular times. But the most commonly
accepted belief is that the bees in cer-
tain cases share our troubles. AID this
is more particularly noticeable in con-
pection with death.
In some districts the entrance of
bumble-bcc into cottage is looked
upon as a certain sign of death. aud in
others their swarming upon piece of
dead wood Is regarded as equally om-
nous. A story Is told of the wife of a
respectable cottager living ia Sussex.
who died in childbirth. whose husband
accepted the blow quite philosoph-
ically. because he said they had been
warned of the event fortnight before
her confinement. The woman went
into the garden aud saw that their
bees. in the act OF swarming had made
choice OF dead hedgc-stake for their
settling place. This is considered an
infallibIe token OF approaching death
in the family. aud ia this instance IL is
more than probable that the prediction
brought about its own fulfillment.
Informing bees OF death in tho
family is custom still. we believe.
practiced In many parts Of England.
The necessary formalties were very
precise. and II they were not fully con-
formed with the bees would certainly
take offense and leave their hives
never to return. SO universal was the
custom few years ago that an inquiry
after cottager's bees would OCCASION
ally elicit some such reply as this:
They have all gone away since the
death Of poor Dick. for we forgot to
knock at the hives and tell them he
was gone dead" The answer would
be given with as much gravity as II
the speaker were relating how her hen
roost had been devastated by fox. or
her pigs had died of swine fever. III
neighbors were talking OF the death Of
a friend some one in the company
would most likely wonder IL the bees
had been informed OF the sad circum-
stance, and would be comfortcd by a
reply in the Affirmative. and that
piece Of the funeral cake had been de-
posted in their hives. A correspond
ent writing on this subject says this
Is common among the
small farmers Of Devon. He once
knew an apprentice boy sent back
from the funeral cortcgc by the nurse
TO tell the bees of il. ms IL had been for
gotten. and. TO make up for the omis-
sion, n little wine and honey was put
in front OF the hives as solacc 10 the
inmates in their presumable sorrow.
In some districts the country people 20
even further than this. Not only do
they. on death occurring. deck their