124 ^'^ ^^^ Voifonovs Honey 



and from many flowers whofe colour is a reddifii brown. In 

 tliefe cafes, it is probable that the honey will fometimes bor- 

 row, in fome degree, the colour of the flowers. Yet there 

 are many crim]'on-coloured and redd ifli- brown coloured 

 flowers that are pcrfccllv innocent. The honey obtained 

 from them will, I prefume, be innocent alfo. Mr. Bruce 

 fays he was furpiiicd to fee, at fJixan, in Abyffinia, *' the 

 honey red like blood; and nothing," he remarks, "can 

 have an appearance more difgulting than this, when mixed 

 with melted butter *." Nothing is faid, by this author, that 

 can lead us to fuppofe that the Dixan honey was poifonous. 

 From the manner in which it is mentioned, it is pretty 

 evident that it was not poifonous. Linnieus informs us, 

 that in Sweden the honey, in the autumn, is principally 

 c-athered from the Howcrs of the erica, or heath, and that 

 this honey is of a fomewhat reddilh colour; and ac- 

 cordinolv, he obferves, thofe provinces of the country that 

 are destitute of the heath, fuch as the province of Oelan- 

 dia, furnifli a white honey t- The great naturalift fays 

 nothino- concerning the properties of the heath honey. 

 However, we may prefume, when we recolleft the minute 

 accuracy of Linnneus, that this honey did not polfefs any 

 dansrerous properties, otherwife he would have noticed the 

 circumftauce. WhiKl I refuled in Edinburgh I had the 

 honey from the Highlands frequently bronsiht to my tabic. 

 I often remarked that this honey had a dirty brownifli co- 

 lour; and I was told that it was chiefly prociu-ed from the 

 ditferent fpecics of erica, perhaps principally from the 

 *' blooming bather J," which abound in the Highlands. 

 I never heard the people in Edinburgh, although they con- 

 fume large quantities of this honey, com])lain that it pof- 

 fefl'es any noxious property. If it were a6livelv poifonous or 

 iniurious, the quality would have been long iince obferved. 

 I well remember, however, that, for two years that I ufed it, 

 it almoft always rendered me drowfy. Sometimes, indeed, 

 it conipofetl me to lleep as efieftually as a moderate dofe of 

 laudanum would have done. A foreigner, who had not been 

 accuftomcd to rat anodyne honey, was better capable of re- 

 marking the etfett which 1 have mentioned than the natives, 

 who had been in the habii of ufing it from their infancy. I 

 do not find that this fingular property of tlie Scots honey has 

 been noticed by any writer §. I have therefore related it, 



though 



• Travels to difcover the Source of the Nile, vol. v. or Appendix, 

 p. 15 1, quarto edition, 

 t Fauna Suecica. 

 + Burns. 



§ Dr. Withering fays, bees e:arait a great deal of honey from the 



ficwcrsi 



