BEES AND HEATHER. 



Burt, in his "Letters from a Gentleman in the 

 North of Scotland," thus characterizes the quality of 

 the Heather honey: "And as I have mentioned the 

 honey above, I shall here give that its one commenda- 

 tion. I think, then, that it is in every respect as good 

 as that of Minorca, so much esteemed, and both, I 

 suppose, are in a great measure produced from the 

 bloom of the heath." Ruskin tells us that this utili- 

 tarian side appealed more to the ancient heathen writ- 

 ers than the beauty of the plant itself. He says, in 

 Modern Painters, "They loved the Hybla Heather 

 more for its sweet hives than its purple hues." 



Rev. Hugh Macmillan, in his "Holidays on High 

 Lands," has also a good word for the Heather honey 

 preed from the skeps of Donald Macrae, afar amid the 

 wild moors of Bohespick. He says, "Mount Hybla 

 itself could not boast of more luscious honey than the 

 liquid amber gathered from the heather-bells, by the 

 three bee-hives in the sunny corner." 



It was and is still a custom of the bee keepers in 

 the lowland districts of Scotland to transport their bee- 

 hives to the Highland hills about the middle of August, 

 so that the bees could have full advantage of sipping 

 the nectar from the great sea of Heather bloom then 

 available. The presence of the bees there is beauti- 

 fully pictured by Leyden in the following verse: 



The tiny heath flowers then begin to bloom, 

 The russet moor assumes its richest glow; 

 The powdry bells that glance in purple bloom, 

 Fling from their scented cups a sweet perfume; 

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