136 DENSE COVERTS. 



other insects in these woods, though of a less ob- 

 noxious nature ; and from one class to-day we 

 received a most welcome addition to our larder. 



My man spent a good deal of his time in hunt- 

 ing for honey, and was wonderfully sharp-sighted 

 when bees were concerned, noticing them at once 

 across a valley, observing the line of their flight, and 

 eventually tracking them to their secret hoard with 

 a certainty that seemed almost like the result of 

 instinct. These Tscherkesses have a way of making 

 a rough sort of hive for the wild bees in trees to 

 which the bees are partial, and I believe respect 

 each other's hives wl.en they come across them. 

 Bruin, however, has less conscience than the 

 Tscherkess, and if there is one thing which will 

 tempt him into an indiscretion sooner than another 

 it is honey. This man told me that once in a tree, 

 with his nose smeared with honey, and stung all 

 over by the indignant bees, the bear will go on 

 feeding greedily, though the whole time he keeps 

 crying and bemoaning himself for the pain given 

 him by his tiny foes. At such times, so intent is 

 he on his feast, that the, hunter may approach him as 

 closely as he pleases, and shoot him at his leisure. 



The peacock butterfly was another insect of 

 which I noticed large numbers from time to time 

 round the outskirts of the forest ; and indeed, in the 

 whole of autumn in the Caucasus, 1 never noticed 

 any butterflies, or only very few, which were not 



