260 (November, 



whence it proceeded ; and this augmented the interest with which I 

 followed the suggestions respecting its cause put forth by others. 

 That general natiiral history weekly, the defunct " Country Side," was 

 just the organ for thrashing out the subject, for it appealed alike to 

 all lovers of Nature, and to no class deeply. There (1909, p. 87) 

 Lady M. S. Jenkyns states that while walking across a field on 

 May 31st, the noise was very distinct, and thought by her companion 

 to be caused by a swarm of bees ; by the trees it was weaker, and at 

 one end of the field quite faint. " We looked about for flies, but could 

 not see half a dozen. We agreed it was like the noise of bees in a 

 lime tree, only there was no lime tree and we could not see any bees." 

 W. M. Bunce of Ascot quotes {I.e. p. 135) Gilbert White's very 

 accurate account of the humming : " There is a natural occvirreuce 

 to be met with upon the highest part of our down in hot summer 

 days, which always amuses me much, without giving me any satisfac- 

 tion with respect to the cause of it ; and that is, a loud audible 

 humming of bees in the air, though not one insect is to be seen. The 

 sound is to be heard the Avhole common through. Any person would 

 suppose that a large swarm of bees was in motion and playing about 

 (he should have added, ' at some distance ') over his head. This noise 

 was heard last week on June 28th." And the same correspondent 

 testifies {I.e. p. 231) that he himself subsequently several times heard, 

 while crossing Ascot Heath during hot weather in August, " a loud 

 humming high in the air, but[although I repeatedly looked up quickly, 

 I could see nothing to account for the sound." Other causes were 

 suggested, such as bluebottles, by Lady Jenkyns at Farley Hill in 

 a beech, at 4.30 p.m. in early September {I.e. p. 294) ; great numbers 

 of humble bees and wasps, while gathering honeydew from beech 

 apliids [doubtless P/tv/?Z«j>7iis /a*/?', Linn.] near Inveraray (/.c. p. 343) ; 

 E. B. Sedgwick " found it was caused by numerous small humble 

 bees, many of which I found dead beneath the tree," — but these, being 

 dead, could not attest to their humming properties — {I.e. p. 311)- 

 Doubtless this phenomenon is vulgarly ascribed to bees, pi'esumably 

 A^is meUifiea ; for this is taken as a granted and well known fact 

 by a hay-maker at I.e. p. 151, who, in the open field, remarks, 

 " Listen to them bees, Sir ; they're overhead. Sir." But it is not 

 among the habits of any bees to congregate and buzz invisibly over- 

 head in an open field. Nor will the ingenuous suggestion {I.e. p. 134) 

 that it emanates from the drumming of a snipe, account for this 

 continuous hum ! 



