UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 191 



others, that they were connected with the ancient 

 Druid ical rites ; and many suppose them to have 

 been coin. Perhaps the cant, or vulgar expres- 

 sion, * down with your coal,' which means ' pay 

 your money,' may assist you in choosing which 

 of these hypotheses you like best/' 



8th. The back gate of the garden is not often 

 unlocked, and to-day when the gardener was 

 going to open it, the key-hole appeared to be so 

 stopped up, that he took off the lock, and finding 

 a little nest in the inside,, he brought it to my 

 uncle. 



It proved to be the nest of a species of bee, 

 called apis manicata. The cells are formed of 

 two or three layers of a silky membrane, which 

 seems to be composed of a kind of glue secreted 

 by the insect; it resembles gold-beater's-leaf, but 

 so thin and transparent, that you can distinguish 

 through it the colour of the smallest object. As 

 soon as each cell is completed, I am told that the 

 bee deposits an egg in it, and then nearly fills it 

 with a mixture of pollen and honey ; and so pro- 

 ceeds till all the cells are finished and filled. As 

 the situation is rather cold for the grubs, we 

 found the cells plastered over with the same com- 

 position, and even a warm outer coating of wool 

 was stuck to this paste to preserve them from any 

 change of temperature. The wool appeared to 

 be the down of some plant ; and my uncle says, 



