2?6 FOREIGN BEES. 



guide lost his horse, and many of the people were 

 much stung about the hands and face." On the 

 eastern side of the same continent, the bees appear 

 to resemble those of the western coast in their colour 

 and diminutive size, but differ from them in the mode 

 of constructing their nests, which are formed under 

 the surface of the ground, while those of the others 

 are lodged in the hollows of trees. To the south- 

 ward, and in the Hottentot countries, the insects are 

 found in great numbers ; but, as appears from the 

 reports of some late travellers, never build their nests 

 in the trunks of trees ; and though they are some- 

 times found nestling under the surface of the ground, 

 make their dwellings chiefly in the clefts of the 

 rocks ; and one large rock in the Cape Colony has 

 so long served as a favourite residence to these in- 

 sects, as to obtain from the Dutch settlers the name 

 of " Honing Kliss/' i. e. Honey-rock. The following 

 anecdotes relating to this species are from Burchell's 

 Travels in Africa, (Vol. I. 377, and II. 81) : -" My 

 bedding having been left out in the air all day, we 

 found in the evening the mattress taken possession 

 of by a swarm of bees which had taken shelter under 

 it for the night ; and as a favour to these industrious 

 creatures, we left them undisturbed. They remained 

 there till the next day at no0n, when they departed 

 in quest of some convenient chink in the rocks for 

 their hive. Their manner of swarming appeared to 

 us to diifer in nothing from that of the common 

 English bee. The same species, or others of the 

 genus Apis, abounds in every part of this continent 



