﻿140 
  

  

  operator 
  jumped 
  upon 
  a 
  table 
  placed 
  there 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  gently 
  lifted 
  down 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  hives 
  and 
  placed 
  it 
  on 
  its 
  side 
  on 
  the 
  table. 
  He 
  then 
  took 
  the 
  movable 
  top 
  off, 
  

   and 
  the 
  honey 
  comb, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  hive 
  was 
  quite 
  full, 
  was 
  exposed 
  to 
  our 
  view. 
  In 
  

   the 
  meantime 
  an 
  old 
  priest 
  having 
  brought 
  a 
  large 
  basin, 
  and 
  everything 
  being 
  

   ready, 
  our 
  friend 
  commenced 
  to 
  cut 
  out 
  the 
  honey-comb 
  with 
  a 
  knife 
  made 
  apparently 
  

   fcr 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  having 
  the 
  handle 
  almost 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  with 
  the 
  blade. 
  Having 
  

   taken 
  out 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  the 
  top 
  was 
  put 
  on 
  again, 
  and 
  

   the 
  hive 
  elevated 
  to 
  its 
  former 
  position. 
  The 
  same 
  operation 
  was 
  repeated 
  with 
  the 
  

   second 
  hive, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  quite 
  as 
  satisfactory. 
  But 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  asked, 
  ' 
  Where 
  

   were 
  the 
  bees 
  all 
  this 
  time 
  ?' 
  — 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  curious 
  part 
  of 
  my 
  story. 
  They 
  

   had 
  not 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  fumes 
  of 
  brimstone, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  contrary 
  to 
  the 
  doctrines 
  of 
  the 
  

   Buddhist 
  creed 
  to 
  take 
  away 
  animal 
  life 
  — 
  nor 
  had 
  they 
  been 
  stupefied 
  with 
  a 
  fungus, 
  

   which 
  is 
  sometimes 
  done 
  at 
  home, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  Hying 
  about 
  above 
  our 
  heads 
  in 
  great 
  

   numbers, 
  and 
  yet, 
  although 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  protected 
  in 
  the 
  slightest 
  degree, 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  

   us 
  was 
  stung; 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  more 
  remarkable, 
  as 
  tbe 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  operator 
  and 
  

   servants 
  were 
  completely 
  naked 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  upwards. 
  The 
  charm 
  was 
  a 
  simple 
  

   one 
  : 
  — 
  it 
  lay 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  dry 
  stems 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Artemisia 
  which 
  grows 
  wild 
  

   on 
  these 
  hills, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  largely 
  used 
  to 
  drive 
  that 
  pest 
  the 
  mosquito 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   dwellings 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  This 
  plant 
  is 
  cut 
  early 
  in 
  summer, 
  sun-dried, 
  then 
  twisted 
  

   into 
  bands, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  ready 
  for 
  use. 
  At 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  operation 
  I 
  am 
  

   describing, 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  was 
  ignited 
  and 
  kept 
  burning 
  slowly 
  as 
  the 
  work 
  

   went 
  on. 
  The 
  poor 
  bees 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  to 
  make 
  of 
  it. 
  They 
  were 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  good-tempered 
  and 
  kept 
  hovering 
  about 
  our 
  heads, 
  but 
  apparently 
  quite 
  incapa- 
  

   ble 
  of 
  doing 
  us 
  the 
  slightest 
  injury. 
  When 
  the 
  hives 
  were 
  properly 
  fixed 
  in 
  their 
  

   places, 
  the 
  charm 
  was 
  put 
  out, 
  and 
  my 
  host 
  and 
  his 
  servants 
  carried 
  off 
  the 
  honey 
  in 
  

   triumph. 
  ' 
  Come,' 
  said 
  he 
  to 
  the 
  operator 
  and 
  us 
  who 
  were 
  lookers 
  on, 
  ' 
  come 
  and 
  

   drink 
  wine.' 
  'Aye,' 
  said 
  the 
  half-witted 
  priest, 
  'drink 
  wine, 
  drink 
  wine;' 
  so 
  we 
  all 
  

   adjourned 
  to 
  the 
  refectory, 
  where 
  wine 
  in 
  small 
  cups 
  was 
  set 
  before 
  us." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Curtis 
  suggested 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  worth 
  trying 
  if 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  English 
  species 
  

   of 
  Artemisia 
  would 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  effect 
  as 
  the 
  Chinese. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Westwood 
  said 
  that 
  a 
  neighbour 
  of 
  his 
  had 
  turned 
  up 
  his 
  hives 
  and 
  taken 
  out 
  

   the 
  honey 
  he 
  required, 
  smoking 
  a 
  cigar 
  during 
  the 
  operation, 
  without 
  suffering 
  any 
  

   injury 
  from 
  the 
  bees; 
  but 
  he 
  himself 
  had 
  deprived 
  hives 
  of 
  their 
  honey 
  with 
  perfect 
  

   safety, 
  simply 
  by 
  drumming 
  the 
  bees 
  into 
  an 
  empty 
  hive, 
  without 
  any 
  smoking. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Curtis 
  communicated 
  the 
  following 
  note 
  on 
  Panurgus 
  ursinus 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  record 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  bee, 
  which 
  I 
  observed 
  during 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Tun- 
  

   bridge 
  Wells. 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  13th 
  of 
  July 
  I 
  saw 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  flying 
  over 
  a 
  foot-path 
  by 
  the 
  

   side 
  of 
  a 
  heath, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  burrowing 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  others 
  were 
  paired 
  over 
  

   the 
  holes 
  they 
  had 
  formed. 
  On 
  the 
  24lh 
  I 
  again 
  visited 
  the 
  same 
  locality, 
  when 
  I 
  

   found 
  the 
  females 
  curling 
  themselves 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  a 
  Hieracium 
  ? 
  the 
  males 
  

   flying 
  around 
  them. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  scores 
  of 
  the 
  males 
  were 
  entering 
  the 
  holes 
  in 
  

   tbe 
  foot-path, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  I 
  saw 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  a 
  male 
  rolling 
  over 
  with 
  a 
  female 
  

   in 
  the 
  dust, 
  in 
  the 
  act, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  of 
  copulation. 
  In 
  1826, 
  when 
  I 
  illustrated 
  this 
  

   genus 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  British 
  Entomology,' 
  the 
  species 
  were 
  considered 
  rare; 
  I 
  had, 
  however, 
  

   found 
  P. 
  ursinus 
  not 
  uncommon 
  on 
  Shooter's 
  Hill, 
  in 
  August, 
  1819 
  ; 
  and 
  P. 
  lobatus 
  I 
  

  

  