160 TRANSPORTATION OF BEES. 



stopping at certain stages of their passage, remain 

 there a longer or shorter time, according to the 

 produce which is afforded by the surrounding 

 country. " After travelling three months in this 

 manner, the bees, having culled the perfumes of 

 the orange flowers of the Said, the essence of roses* 

 of the Faicum, the treasures of the Arabian jessa- 

 mine, and a variety of flowers, are brought back 

 to the places from which they had been carried. 

 This industry procures, for the Egyptians, deli- 

 cious honey, and abundance of bees-wax. The 

 proprietors, in return, pay the boatmen a recom- 

 pence proportioned to the number of hives which 

 have been thus carried about from one extremity 

 of Egypt to the other." LATREILLE states that 

 between Cairo and Damietta a convoy of 4000 

 hives were seen upon the Nile by NIEBUHR, on 

 their transit from the upper to the lower districts 

 of that country. Floating bee-hives were formerly 

 common also in FRANCE. One barge was capable 

 of containing from 60 to 100 hives, which, float- 

 ing gently down their rivers, enabled the bees to 

 gather the honey which is afforded by the flowers 

 on their banks. REAUMUR likewise states it to 

 have been the practice in some districts to trans- 

 port them with similar views, by land, in vehicles 



* Whatever inducement the bees of Egypt may have to 

 ply the roses of that country, with us they pay very little 

 attention to those beautiful flowers. 



