114 SWARMING OF BEES. 



ture, that Samson found " a swarm of bees and honey 



in the carcase of the lion." But, seldom as any thing of 



the kind does occur in this kingdom, it did happen on 



one occasion in the county of Down, if some species 



of wasp has not been mistaken for bees. The fact is 



rcorded in the following words, extracted from the 



Belfast News Letter, of Friday, 10th August, 1832 :— 



" A few days ago, when the sexton was digging a 



grave in Temple Cranney (a burying-place in Porta- 



ferry), he came to a coffin which had been there two 



or three years : this he thought necessary to remove, 



to make room for the corpse about to be interred. 



In this operation, he was startled by a great quantity 



of wild bees issuing forth from the coffin, and upon 



lifting the lid, it was found that they had formed 



their combs in the dead man's skull and mouth, which 



were full. The nest was made of the hair of the 



head, together with shavings that had been put in 



the coffin with the corpse." 



Every hive contains a queen, drones, and workers ; 



of these different kinds, Sliakspeare seems cognizant. 



Thus the lines — 



"Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day. 

 Led by their master to the flowered fields"— 



(Titus Andronicus, Act V. Sc. I.) 



recognize the first : 



"Drones hive not with me," 

 the second ; and any of the numerous passages 



