Palisadian., 1924-10-10
seemed to be quarreling, and one soon
chased his rival off at top speed.
Helpers Stung by Bees.

seemed TO De quarrellnS, ana one soon
chased his rival off at top speed.
Helpers Stung by Bees.
with the aid of some burning grass
two of my black helpers quickly had
the hive unearthed, paying the penalty
of only six stings The comb con-
tanned no honey, only pollen and bee
larvae. 1t was in a cavity previously
occupied by termites.
"We placed some of the comb in the
forks Of tree and went off to escape
an impending shower. An hour or two
later we found that the two birds had
returned to peck at the comb; and the
following morning l watched them
come silently, the one after the other,
to seize q piece of the comb and fly
off with it. Without crediting the birds
with actual foresight or intelligence,
do not hesitate to say that it was for
this reward that they had worked.
"It is said that where the negroes
have artificial hives hanging in trees
for the use of bees, the honey guides
make no distinction and will lead to
mans agency as readily as to natural
cavities housing wild-bee colonies.
This 1 believe, though l have not had
occasion to verify 1t even among the
Logo of the eastern Uelle district,
who attract bees with hives made of
reeds.
"The assertion has also been made
that the honey-guide will sometimes
lead man up to snake or leopard,
but this has been vigorously denied
by experienced naturalists.
"a story far better founded is that
Of the honey-badger following the
honey-guide. Major Stevenson Hamil-
ton describes 1t as though he had often
observed it himself:
"'You may be resting in the bush In
the cool Of the afternoon or on some
cloudy day, when your attention is ar
rested by the persistent and approach
ing chatter Of one of these feathered
spies. Presently the bird itself comes
fluttering onto branch some forty
yards distant, where it perches flap
ping its wings and displaying every
sign of impatience.
Followed by Small Animal.
"'For a moment it is SILENT and
then less familiar sound strikes the
ear-slight sibilant kissing and chuck
ling, which at first you find yourself
unable to identify. The hon
ey-guide understands, and having with
undulating flight sought another tree
some thirty yards further on, renews
his invitation. Keeping quite still and
looking steadily you presently spy a
little gray and black form moving
along at steady jog-trot; the tail Is
carried slightly above the level of the
back, and the head, except when
raised to glance up at the guide, is
held little low.
"'Every time the bird utters his mo-
notonous refrain, which when trans
lated into feathered language means,
Come along, come along, don't be so
Slow" the follower replies, "All right,
my friend, don't be alarmed, am COM
ing" And thus the strange procession
| passes on OUT OF SlSnt TO the nOllOW
log where the unlucky insects are in
dustriously Shaving only ultimately to
satisfy the appetites of bird and beast
"The favorite food of this badger Is
honeycomb and 1t has powerful claws
with which to tear open the hive"
From his observations Mr.. Chaplin
has come to believe that the guiding
is instructive, for it has become hered-
itary with at least one species of the
bird and Is practiced by old birds of
both sexes and apparently by imma-
ture birds as well.
1.-THE fact that it is a characteristic
form of behavior throughout the whole
range Of the Species" he says, "argues
for it's remote origin and leads us to
believe that the instinct grew up slow
ly with the evolution of the family,
though man is not always the bene-
ficiary. The honey-guides must have
preyed on bees long before savage man
reached Africa, and we may speculate
quite properly as to the origin Of the
guiding instinct"