it home, and if bees still continued to water at the same
location I would give in. The bee was cut next day and taken home
and all watering ceased at that place. This was evidence enough for
him and proved to him, as it must to every one, that under certain
conditions bees will vary very much from a straight line of flight.

CHAPTER IX.

BAITS AND SCENTS.

In rambling through the woods and over the mountains I have seen
bee hunters using bait with the oil of anise in it, or perhaps a
bait containing several different scents. They did not seem to
know, nor care, that bait containing these oils was injurious to
bees; but the fact is well known that they are injurious--not to
our neighbor's bees alone, but to the ones we are trying to find.
Therefore, never combine baits with scents of any kind. The former
is intended to furnish feed for the bee, and when loaded will
always start for the home. The latter is used as a means of getting
them to come to bait.

There are many different scents used for enticing the bee to bait.
Some hunters prefer oil of anise, others use bergamont; then some
combine these or other scents. But bear in mind that what should be
used ought to conform as nearly as possible in scent to the main
source of nectar at any particular season of the year.

In preparing these scents, take an ounce of the oil you may prefer,
put it into a pint bottle and fill bottle one-fourth full of
alcohol; let it stand a few days and then fill up with water. This
would make sufficient scent to last any one for several years. A
small vial can be filled and taken along--even an ounce vial will
last several trips; or a few drops of the oil can be put into a
bottle and water added, but as water will not cut the oil, it
remains insoluble and when the bottle is turned in order that the
mixture will run out, it often happens that our scent (after using
a time or two) is no good, the oil having disappeared. But by
cutting the scent with alcohol, the last drop will be just as
strongly scented as the first.

I have used about all the different scents known to bee hunters and
oil of anise was my standby for many years. I found bergamont to be
good. Horse mint, goldenrod, and many other oils and scents were
used at some particular time of the year, but the most powerful and
lasting scent I ever used was oil of sweet clover. Having run out
of the oil and not knowing where to get it without sending to some
drug house, I b