APID^ — BEES. 18t 



cattle will die; the Bees themselves perish, and the trees 

 wither."^ 



At Bradfield, if Bees are not invited to funerals, it is be- 

 lieved they will die.^ 



In the Livinf^ Librarie, Englished by John Molle, 1621, 

 p. 2S3, we read: "Who would beleeve without superstition 

 (if experience did not make it credible ), that most commonly 

 all the Bees die in their hives, if the master or mistress of 

 the house chance to die, except the hives be presently re- 

 moved into some other place? And yet I know this hath 

 hapned to folke no way stained with superstition "^ 



A similar superstition is, that Beehives belonging to de- 

 ceased persons should be turned over the moment when the 

 corpse is taken out of the house.* No consequence is given 

 for the non-performance of this rite. 



The following item is clipped from the Argus, a London 

 newspaper, printed Sept. 13, 1790: "A superstitious custom 

 prevails at every funeral in Devonshire, of turning round the 

 Bee-hives that belonged to the.peceased, if he had any, and 

 that at the moment the corpse is carrying out of the house. 

 At a funeral some time since, at Colurapton, of a rich old 

 farmer, a laughable circumstance of this sort occurred: for, 

 just as the corpse was placed in the hearse, and the horse- 

 men, to a large number, were drawn in order for the proces- 

 sion of the funeral, a person called out, 'Turn the Bees,' 

 when a servant who had no knowledge of such a custom, 

 instead of turning the hives about, lifted them up, and then 

 laid them down on their sides. The Bees, thus hastily in- 

 vaded, instantly attacked and fastened on the horses and 

 their riders. It was in vain they galloped off, the Bees as 

 precipitately followed, and left their stings as marks of in- 

 dignation. A general confusion took place, attended with 

 loss of hats, wigs, etc., and the corpse during the conflict 

 was left unattended ; nor was it till after a considerable 

 time that the funeral attendants could be rallied, in order to 

 proceed to the interment of their deceased friend."^ 



After the death of a member of a family, it has fre- 



1 Bucke on Nature, i. 413, note. 



2 N. and Q., iv. 309. 



3 Brand's Pop, Antiq., ii. 300. 



* Fosbr. Encycl. of Antiq., ii. 738. 

 5 Brand's Pojp. Antiq., ii. 300. 



