186 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



found them : he had no apprehensions from their stings, but 

 would seize them nudis manibuSy and at once disarm them of 

 their weapons, and suck their bodies for the sake of their honey- 

 bags. Sometimes he would fill his bosom between his shirt and 

 his skin with a number of these captives ; and sometimes would 

 confine them in bottles. He was a very merops apiaster, or bee- 

 bird ; and very injurious to men that kept bees ; for he would 

 slide into their bee-gardens, and, sitting down before the stools, 

 would rap with his finger on the hives, and so take the bees as 

 they came out. He has been known to overturn hives for the 

 sake of honey, of which he was passionately fond. Where 

 metheglin was making he would linger round the tubs and ves- 

 sels, begging a draught of what he called bee-wine. As he ran 

 about he used to make a humming noise with his lips, re- 

 sembling the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and sallow, 

 and of a cadaverous complexion ; and, except in his favourite 

 pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, discovered no man- 

 ner of understanding. Had his capacity been better, and directed 

 to the same object, he had perhaps abated much of our wonder 

 at the feats of a more modern exhibiter of bees ; and we may 

 justly say of him now, 



" Thou, 



Had thy presiding star propitious shone, 

 Should'at Wildman be ." 



When a tall youth he was removed from hence to a distant 

 village, where he died, as I understand, before he arrived at 

 manhood. I am, &c. 



LETTER XXVIII. To THE HON. DAINES BARRINGTON. 

 DEAR SIR, Selborne, Jan. 8, 1776. 



IT is the hardest thing in the world to shake off superstitious 

 prejudices : they are sucked in as it were with our mother's 

 milk ; and, growing up with us at a time when they take the 

 fastest hold and make the most lasting impressions, become so 

 interwoven into our very constitutions, that the strongest good 

 sense is required to disengage ourselves from them. No wonder 

 therefore that the lower people retain them their whole lives 

 through, since their minds are not invigorated by a liberal edu- 

 cation, and therefore not enabled to make any efforts adequate 

 to the occasion. 



