328 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



remark that the bees are kept in clay 

 cylinders, about 3 feet long and in di- 

 ameter 15 inches at one end tapering 

 to 10 at the other. These clay pipes 

 are stacked in large piles, sometimes 

 as many as 50 to 100 in one stack. 



The accommodation at Hagia Anna 

 was wretched. 1 had a mattress 

 spread on the stone floor, and my sad- 

 dle-clotli. 



Next morning began the third day, 

 and only about 6 lots of bees collected. 

 I began rather to suspect that Spero 

 was not trying his best to get me bees, 

 but prolonging the journey a bit, that 

 of course being to his advantage. I 

 intimated as much, and Spero assured 

 me that at a village about 15 hours off 

 there were only 7 houses and 500 lots 

 of bees. This looked promising, and 

 as there were many villages on the 

 route I decided to go. The village 

 was hard by the monastery of St. 

 Chrysostomos, and, I believe, nearly 

 2,000 feet above sea-level. We jour- 

 neyed all day, and at evening stayed 

 at a village at the foot of the mountain 

 range running along the north of 

 Cyprus. Here we stayed with the 

 parish priest, who was a bee-keeper. 

 He said that he had 300 colonies last 

 year, but a hot wind came and melted 

 the combs and destroyed the bees. 

 His present stock was 3 lots only. He 

 was very kind, and offered, had it not 

 been so near Christmas, to have pro- 

 curred bees. I did not care to have 

 them from such a warm place how- 

 ever. 



In the morning we proceeded 

 towards Kntzo Venti, but the pro- 

 gress was both slow and dangerous, 

 owing to the heavy rain that had fal- 

 len in the night. The path up the 

 mountains ran along the tops of deep 

 ravines, and in many places had been 

 washed almost away, and rendered 

 very unsafe. About noon we arrived 

 at this wonderful apiary of 500 colo- 

 nies. Truly, there were 7 houses, and 

 perhaps 50 lots of bees. The people 

 would not sell at first, but consented, 

 just as we were starting off, to let me 

 have 7 lots ; but on these conditions, 

 — the cylinders were not to be moved 

 out of the stack, neither were both 

 ends to be opened. Being anxious to 

 get bees I accepted these terms, but 

 before I had got the first lot out I 

 found that I had made a bad bargain. 

 The seven lots I purchased were dis- 

 tributed about a stack of about 40 to 50 

 cylinders, and, as it was a warm day, 

 the bees were flying strongly. In re- 

 moving the ends of the cylinder I had 

 to jar the jiile considerably, and the 

 consequence was that 1 had the bees 

 of the whole 50 liives around me, and 

 did not they sting V At first their 

 owner and Spero had offered to assist, 

 but not many minutes had elapsed be- 

 fore they fled howling in all direc- 

 tions, and I was left alone to fight the 

 battle. I saw I sliould get worsted, 

 and retired to the house, where I 

 found the others extracting the many 

 stings. 



I offered the man a sum to let me 

 off the bargain, which he did, and I 

 retired from Kutzo Venti somewhat 

 crestfallen. I upbraided Spero for de- 

 ceiving me, and announced that I 

 would go to Kythrrea. He assured 



me that no bees were kept there, but 

 I insisted on going. This was the 

 fourth day— result, about 8 lots of 

 bees, Spero said tliat we could do no 

 business during the next two days, it 

 being the (Treek Christmas. I sug- 

 gested that we should return to Lar- 

 naca in that case. He at once changed 

 and said he would do his best if I 

 would not return. 



After a few hours' riding we reached 

 Kythroea, and a more lovely valley I 

 had rarely seen. Streams of spring 

 water ran down each side turning in- 

 numerable mills. The orange and 

 lemon groves were almost continuous ; 

 every moist wall was a carpet of 

 maidenhair fern, and crocuses and 

 anemones in places almost carpeted 

 the ground. Bees, too, were every- 

 where, and I believe that the valley, 

 though only about 2 or 3 miles in 

 length, centained more than 1,000 

 colonies. In many cases the cylinders 

 were built into the walls of the houses 

 and the bees' entrances were in the 

 streets, and these streets narrow ones 

 too ; I never, however, heard of the 

 people getting stuug. The roots, too, 

 were covered with hives. The people 

 here seemed a more business-like race, 

 and before night about 13 lots had 

 been purchased. The news that bees 

 were wanted (luickly spread, and, 

 though it was Chri.stmas day, the peo- 

 ple after they had been to church were 

 not at all averse to business. The 

 priest too, was a most amiable man, 

 and did all in his i>ower to get me the 

 bees, and witli the result that before 

 noon more tlian 40 lots were mine. 



The next diflieulty was transit. 

 Most of the hives were grand stocks, 

 and I did not like to transfer them 

 into my little boxes. I therefore de- 

 termined to convey them to Larnaca 

 on mules in the cylinders and there 

 transfer into larger hi^es. The mule 

 and donkey owners of the village were 

 called and demanded double rates 

 owing to Christmas time ; but after a 

 lot of bargaining they consented to 

 take a fare and a half, and I hired in 

 all about 27 animals. Packing up 40 

 cylinders to be ready the next morn- 

 ing at 7 was no light task. I worked 

 like a slave, and it was far into the 

 night when my labors were coui- 

 pleted. Each mule had two cylinders 

 to carry, and, as each was loaded, the 

 former owners of the bees fumigated 

 both bees and ourselves by burning 

 sweet-smelling leaves on little char- 

 coal dishes to ensure that both our- 

 selves and bees should prosper. It 

 was a long day's journey from Kyth- 

 rcea to Larnaca (over 30 miles). The 

 valley contains a succession of villa- 

 ges with very narrow streets, and tlie 

 cylinders had many narrow escapes 

 from being broken against the corners 

 of the wails. The journey across the 

 Messorea, or great plain, was diversi- 

 fied by a mule occasionally falling 

 down or lying down to roll, or jump- 

 ing across some little stream to the 

 great danger of the liives. The end 

 of one came out and so did the bees ; 

 but the muleteer had presence of 

 mind enough to cover the opening at 

 once with his coat. 



Larnaca was reached between 8 and 

 9 at night, and bees were found safe. 



I had previously hired a house, which 

 had a very large courtyard and veran- 

 dah, formerly occupied by the Russian 

 Consul ; and here 1 transferred the 

 bees and combs into bar-hives made 

 by a native carpenter of much larger 

 size than those I brought out. This, 

 of course, was the work of some days, 

 and when completed I proceeded on 

 to Beyroot to get Syrian bees. On 

 landing, my bees were at once seized 

 by the customs authorities and de- 

 clared contraband. For two days 

 they kept them, and it was only when 

 I had obtained the assistance of the 

 English Consul and some other 

 friends that they gave them up, and 

 even then I had to pay 10 per cent, 

 duty on them. This delay was fatal 

 to getting bees at Beyroot, where' my 

 friends, Joseph Abdelnour Faker and 

 Dr. Beshara I. Manasseh had kindly 

 made inquiries (in the neighborhood 

 and on Lebanon) among the native 

 bee-keepers, and where I should have 

 readily obtained any number of colo- 

 nies, but, as the steamer that I was to 

 return by came in on the third day, I 

 had to go on board. Tripoli was the 

 next port, and though I saw some 

 bees, I could not deal. 



At Scanderoon I had no trouble at 

 all. Mr. Christian, of the Ottoman 

 Bank at Beyroot, had furnished me 

 witli a letter of introduction to the 

 agent at Scanderoon, and he very 

 kindly sent me to a bee-keeper close 

 by. The bees at Scanderoon are Uept 

 in wooden boxes about four feet long 

 and nine inches square. The colonies 

 were very strong, and I determined to 

 take them liome in the original cases. 

 I decided to drive the bees to one end 

 of the box and saw it in half. Getting 

 a saw of the ship's carpenter, I re- 

 turned and commenced work. This 

 proceeding .attracted many, curious 

 to know what was going to be done. 

 Seeing one hive cut in half was 

 enough. The sawing, of course, 

 greatly irritated the bees, and the 

 crowd retired, many of them h.iving 

 their curiosity more than satisfied. 



I was stopped at the Custom House, 

 but my offer to open one of tlie cases 

 to allow them to judge of the contents 

 was politely declined, and I went on 

 board. Whilst lying at anchor off 

 Scandaroon, I gave my bees a flight 

 on board, and no one got stung. This 

 I did also at Alexandria, wliere we ' 

 were delayed 16 days. The com- 

 mander of the ^Irfii-a;, Captain Sand- 

 rey, took much interest in the bees, 

 and all along sliowed me the greatest 

 kindness, giving me the offer of any 

 part of the vessel in which to put the 

 bees on the homeward voyage. I 

 tried below deck first, and there un- 

 fortunately got a number stifled, 

 owing to the rough weather causing 

 the hatches to be battened down, and 

 at same time I was much too ill ?«ai 

 de mer to go to their rescue. A call 

 was made at Valencia, where another 

 delay occurred through quarantine. 

 I went into the country to observe the 

 Spanish bees, but, witli the exception 

 that they appeared very black, they 

 differed little from our English bees. 

 After leaving Valencia, the sheep- 

 pen on deck was used to shelter the 

 hives in, and in this they safely ar- 



