GEESE ATTACKED BY BEES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 227, 22 January 1880, Page 3

GEESE ATTACKED BY BEES.

Infuriated bees are terrible antagonists. An instance of geese attacked by these ordinary peacable and industrious little insects given in a recent number of Nature ; and some notion of their viciousness when irritated may be gathered from the fact of their beingable to kill a creature so well covered ■with a protecting coat of feathers and' down as a goose. Under such circumstance what chance would the human biped in his summer trousers stand ? The following is ‘the instance referred to; ‘ For some weeks a swarm of bees and a flock of gee._e, consisting of one gander, six mother-birds, and twentyeight well-grown goslings, had lived together in a small enclosed garden, in the utmost harmony, neither party attemptin'-, to interfere with the pursuits •of the other. One day, however, a overconfident gosling began picking above the hive, and was at once punished by a sharp »ting from one of the bees. The unhappy bird gave vent to its outraged feeling in a vim-rous win,"-flapping and in an instant the whole hive of bees precipitated themselves upm the geese sparing neither age nor seX. Ihe garden gate being closed, the birds were unable to escape, and befor* a servant 4 attracted by the unusual noise, could . hurry to the rescue six of ‘he geese were tilled diitrighfc, ard two others were so seriously injured that they died shortly —'afterward*. The rest mile appropriate treatment, ultimately recovered. For uianj h .urs the bees woul 1 not suiter neither man nor be.ist to come into the garde’.