OF NORTH AMERICA. 55 



I. Every American has heard of the poifonous pro- 

 perties of the kahnia anguftifolia and latifulia. The 

 former of thefe plants is known, in the United States, 

 by the names of dwarf-laurel, ivy, lambkill, &c. It 

 has long been known, that its leaves, when eaten by 

 fheep, prove fatal to them. The following fadt will 

 {how that the flowers likewife are endued with a poifon- 

 ous property. 



About twenty years fince, a party of young men, 

 folicited by the profpedt of gain, moved, with a few 

 hives of bees, from Pennfyivania, into the Jerfeys. They 

 were induced to believe that the favannas of this latter 

 country were very favourable to the encreafe of their 

 bees, and, confequently, to the making of honey. They, 

 accordingly, placed their hives in the midil of theie 

 favannas, which were finely painted with the flowers of 

 the kalmia anguflifolia. The bees encreafed prodigioufly, 

 and it was evident that the principal part of the honey 

 which they made was obtained from the flowers of the 

 plant which I have juft mentioned. I cannot learn that 

 there was any thing uncommon in the appearance of the 

 honey: but all the adventurers, who eat of it, became 

 intoxicated, to a great degree. From this experiment, 

 they were fenfible that it would not be prudent to fell 

 their honey ; but, imwilling to loofe all their labour, 

 they made the honey into the drink well known by the 

 name of metheglin, fuppofmg that the intoxicating 

 quality which had refided in the honey would be loft 

 in the metheglin. In this refpedl, however, they were 

 miftaken. The drink alfo intoxicated them, after which 

 they removed their hives. 



In North-Carolina, this fpecies of kalmia and the 

 andromeda mariana are fuppofed to be the principal ve- 

 getables from which the bees prepare the poifonous 

 honey, that is common in that part of the United States. 



H 2 II. 



