BEE-HUNTING. 201 



entered the wood is then marked, together 

 with the line it took inside the wood. If 

 there are three or four bee-hunting, most 

 likely each has lined his bee to the cover's 

 edge, and also marked its direction. They 

 then go to one of these marked spots, and 

 walk a few yards apart, straight into the 

 forest, in the direction marked out, watching 

 for any hollow tree they may pass, and also 

 for a few small birds that frequent the vicinity 

 of hives, to pounce on the little bees. The 

 Indians call them " honey-birds," or rather 

 " honey-mouth" (Boca Miel). The object of 

 the search is soon found, being generally 

 within two hundred yards from the edge of 

 the wood, unless the bees, as they sometimes 

 do, build near a river's side for the sake of 

 the water. 



The hunter has always with him his 

 hatchet, a large gourd for the honey, and a 

 sort of havresac for the wax. There are 

 very few axemen so handy as a woodman of 

 Central America ; and in a very short time a 

 fine tree is hewn down for the sake of a little 

 wax and honey. In some places bees are so 

 very numerous that they alight in numbers 

 on the hands and face, and as they are very 

 small are often taken for sand-flies, and are 



