Hive-Bees. 161 



in cells about the size and shape of pigeons' eggs. These 

 cells are of a black or deep-violet colour, and so joined 

 together as to leave no space between them. They hang 

 in clusters almost like a bunch of grapes." * The following 

 are mentioned by Lindley as indigenous to Brazil. " On an 

 excursion towards Upper Tapagippe," says he, " and skirting 

 the dreary woods which extend to the interior, I observed 

 the trees more loaded with bees' nests than even in the 

 neighbourhood of Porto Seguro. They consist of a pon- 

 derous shell of clay, cemented similarly to martins' nests, 

 swelling from high trees about a foot thick, and forming an 

 oval mass full two feet in diameter. When broken, the wax 

 is arranged as in our hives, and the honey abundant." f 



Captain Basil Hall found in South America the hive of a 

 honey-bee very different from the Brazilian, but nearly 

 allied to, if not the same as, that of Guadaloupe. " The 

 hive we saw opened," he says, " was only partly filled, 

 which enabled us to see the economy of the interior to 

 more advantage. The honey is not contained in the elegant 

 hexagonal cells of our hives, but in wax bags, not quite so 

 large as an egg. These bags or bladders are hung round 

 the sides of the hive, and appear about half full ; the 

 quantity being probably just as great as the strength of 

 the wax will bear without tearing. Those near the bottom, 

 being better supported, are more filled than the upper ones. 

 In the centre of the lower part of the hive we observed an 

 irregularly-shaped mass of comb, furnished with cells like 

 those of our bees, all containing young ones in such an ad- 

 vanced state, that, when we broke the comb, and let them 

 out, they flew merrily away." 



Clavigero, in his 'History of Mexico,' evidently describing 

 the same species of bee, says it abounds in. Yucatan, and 

 makes the honey of Estabentum, the finest in the world, and 

 which is taken every two months. He mentioned another 

 species of bee, smaller in size, and also without a sting, 

 which forms its nest of the shape of a sugar-loaf, and as large 



* Amer. Q. Rev., iii. p. 383. 



J" Roy. Mil. Chron. quoted by Kirby and Spence, 



M 



