56 FORESTRY IN POLAND. 



dant than in any other species. In the Polish language, 

 the month of June, which is also called Lipiec, derives its 

 name from the flowering of this tree, as the month of 

 July derives its name from the Cocus polonicus, called by 

 the Poles Czerwiee, in which month the ova are gathered. 

 The inhabitants have no regular bee-hives about Kovno ; 

 every peasant who is desirous of rearing bees goes into 

 a forest in a district belonging to his master, without 

 even his leave, makes a longitudinal hollow aperture or 

 apertures in the trunk of a tree, or in the collateral 

 branches, about three feet in length, one foot broad, and 

 about a foot deep, where he deposits his bees, leaves them 

 some food, but pays very little further attention to them 

 until late in the autumn ; when, after cutting out some of 

 their honey, and leaving some for their maintenance, 

 he secures the aperture properly with clay and straw 

 against the frost and inclemency of the approaching 

 season ; these tenements (if they may be so called), with 

 their inhabitants, and the produce of their labour, have 

 then become his indisputable property ; he may sell them, 

 transfer them ; in short, he may do whatever he pleases 

 with them ; and never is it heard that any depredation is 

 committed on them (that by the bear excepted.) In Poland 

 the laws are particularly severe against robbers or destroyers 

 of this property, punishing the offender, when detected, 

 by cutting out the navel, and drawing out his intestines 

 round and round the very tree which he has robbed. 

 Such thefts have happened, but not in my memory. 



* The following spring the proprietor goes again to the 

 forest, examines the bees, and ascertains whether there is 

 sufficient food left till they are able to maintain them- 

 selves ; should there not be a sufficient quantity he 

 deposits with them as much as he judges necessary till 

 the spring-blossom appears. If he observes that his 

 stock has not decreased by mortality he makes more of 

 these apertures in the lateral branches, or in the trunk 

 of the tree, that in case the bees should swarm in his 

 absence they may have a ready asylum. In the autumn 



