1914 The Zoologist — November, 1869. 



window of my study, situated on the first floor; and as I sit at ray 

 open window the busy hum of my industrious little neighbours sounds 

 pleasantly. Well, on the 15th of June, I resolved to what is called 

 technically — i.e. in beemaster's language — "raise" one of these 

 hives, which was crowded with bees, but seemed indisposed to swarm. 

 The process oi raising consists, as some of the readers of the ' Zoolo- 

 gist' possibly may not know, in placing a flat-topped hive beneath 

 the stock, with a connexion between them. To effect this I had to 

 mount a ladder and face the bees — not exactly the safest or pleasantest 

 position ! I succeeded, but the bees were not well pleased, and 

 poured out in a continuous stream, covering the entire front of the 

 hive. Few took wing, for it was evening twilight. While watching 

 their proceedings from the ladder something so like a bat flitted 

 round that it did not attract ray particular notice ; but on going up 

 into my study I leaned my head out of the window to within a foot of 

 the entrance of the hive, and I then saw what I could not fail to re- 

 cognize as a death's head moth flit backwards and forwards once or 

 twice before the hive, dash at the entrance, penetrate the cluster of 

 bees and disappear within ! I leave to apiarians, entomologists, el hoc 

 genus omne, to imagine my surprise and pleasure. But what was to be 

 done ? I had nought save a small net intended for landing trout, not 

 catching moths, to aid me in the capture ; so rigging it out I waited 

 anxiously with net in close proximity to the hive to intercept the 

 intruder on his egress. In about five minutes out she (for it is a 

 female) came in no small bustle, and as I thought I could distinguish, 

 but it was almost dark, with five or six bees attached to her legs. 

 Instead of taking wing the moth scrambled, fast enough, over the 

 cluster of bees to the top of the hive, and my net was instantly upon 

 her. The bag of the net, however, fell over the cluster, and though 

 I had the moth safely within, I had also within and without and 

 hanging among the meshes some hundreds of bees. The consequence 

 was I could neither catch the moth with mj' fingers nor bring the 

 net into ray room ; and after running round and round with mar- 

 vellous celerity my prisoner eflected her escape : she was off" like 

 a shot. Next evening I ke])t watch and ward for my friend Atro- 

 pos : she appeared, dashed against the window, and I saw her no 

 more. 



Now, I have to add, certain sounds, which I should best describe 

 as a rather musical squeak, I distinctly heard, apparently from within 

 the hive ; but whether those sounds at all resembled the notes, real or 



