HIVE BEES. 143 



uncommon for swarms to stray from their proprietors. 

 But these stray swarms do not spread colonies 

 through our woods, as they are said to do in America. 

 In the remoter parts of that continent there are no wild 

 bees. They precede civihzation ; and thus when the 

 Indians observe a swarm they say " the white man is 

 coming." There is evidence of bees havmg abounded 

 in these islands, in the earlier periods of our history; 

 and Ireland is particularly mentioned by the Venerable 

 Bede as being " rich in milk and honey."* The hive 

 bee has formed an object of economical culture in 

 Europe at least for two thousand years; and Varro 

 describes the sort of hives used in his time, 1870 

 years ago. We are not aware, however, that it is 

 now to be found wild in the milder clime of Southern 

 Europe, any more than it is in our own island. 



The wild bees of Palestine principally hived in 

 rocks. '' He made him," says Moses, " to suck 

 honey out of the rock."| '' With honey out of the 

 rock," says the Psalmist, '' should I have satisfied 

 thee. "J In the caves of Salsette and Elephanta, at 

 the present day, they hive in the clefts of the rocks, 

 and the recesses among the fissures, in such num- 

 bers, as to become very troublesome to visiters. 

 Their nests hang hi innumerable clusters. || 



We are told of a little black stingless bee found in 

 the island of Gaudaloupe, which hives in hollow trees 

 or in the cavities of rocks by the sea side, and lays 

 " up honey in cells about the size and shape of 

 pigeons' eggs. These cells are of a black or deep 

 violet colour, and so joined together as to leave no 

 space between them. They hang in clusters almost 

 like a bunch of grapes. "IT The following are men- 

 tioned by Lindley as indigenous to Brazil. " On an 



* "Hibernia dives lactis ac mellis insula." — Beda, Hist. Ee. 

 eles. i.,7. t Deut. xxxii. 13. .f Psalm Ixxxi. 16. 



II Forbes, Orien. Mem. i. IT Amer. Q. Rev.,iii. p. 383, 



