KOBS GAEDENS AND BEE-HIVES. 135 



they collect in the oak forests, and when 

 passing through a district studded with 

 oak, the trees will be seen with the branches 

 torn and broken, and either collected into 

 heaps in the tree, like huge rooks'-nests, 

 or hanging loosely about. 



Morning or evening is the time to catch 

 them at work, as they seldom remain out 

 du.ring the day. Evening is best, many 

 leaving before daylight. They find shelter 

 in the same forest, or in its immediate 

 vicinity, in patches of thick jungle, 'or amidst 

 rocks and broken ground ; often making a 

 kind of cover for themselves by bending 

 slender reeds or bushes towards each other, 

 and intertwining and fastening the ends. 



When food is scarce, they will often pay 

 regular visits to the village mills, turning 

 over the millstone and licking up the 

 remnants of the flour left in grinding. 

 Cucvimbers and pumpkins disappear from 

 the gardens, and bee-hives are frequently 

 destroyed and plundered, although fixed in 

 the walls of houses in which the inmates 



