EAST AFRICAN INSECTS. 1021 



A galvanised iron building in which I took up residence for a 

 time liad a cupboard in one corner, in former times the place 

 being used as a cotton-mill. This cupboard had two pipe-like 

 apertures, and seemed to the local bees to be an altogether 

 <lesirable nesting-site. On 9. i.l7 they swarmed, numbers of 

 them buzzing up and down the window pane by my table. Others 

 persisbently buzzed round my nose — not that that organ is in the 

 least flower-like : one of these bees being struck at, stung the 

 offending forearm some three inches above the wrist. The sting- 

 was not left behind, and the pain, sharp enough at first, subsided in 

 fifteen minutes ; the arm swelled considerably, and this swelling 

 did not entirely disappear till the 13th, i. e. four days later. 



On January 26th they were again unusually bad. Nearly a 

 thousand must have invaded my quarters during the dsiy; tliey 

 came like a cloud, and at one time there must have been fully 

 five hundred on the window panes; the noise created reminded 

 one of the room of a wireless operator. I just mannged to carry 

 oil witli my Avork, though the niigry humming of some round nose 

 and mouth was trying to tlie nerves. On February Sth I killed 

 747 bees on the window paiie by quietly crushing them one by 

 one with a little metal pill-box. One hears of swarms every- 

 where. Whilst seated writing near the window, I was un- 

 ■expectedly stung upon the eyelid by a bee which fiew in at the 

 window and straight to my eye without any provocation whatever 

 on my part ; the poor creature could not extricate its sting, arid 

 I had to pull it off forcibly, after it and my eyelid had fluttered 

 up and down for a few seconds. It is very usual for these bees 

 to attack the eyes, a,nd is not a matter of chance. 



Another time I noticed some boys pulling a hamali cart in the 

 road outside, when a suddftn commotion arose. One native dived 

 beneath tlie cart and tried to conceal his head bene.ath his arms, 

 fvnother stripped off his kanzu and tried to wrap his head in it 

 and ran away ; the bees were left in the road in possession of the 

 cart, which probably contained some sweet stuff. A similar 

 instance came to my knowledge at Kilosa,, where the cart contained 

 goor ; the bees held up fill the ti-afiic in one of the main roads 

 while they looted the cart. * ' 



Twice I dislodged the offenders from the cupboard afore- 

 mentioned b}'^ means of smoke. On a third occasion 1 was telling 

 a friend of my troubles, when he said " Why do you not clear 

 them out ? " I remarked thab I had not the necessai-y nifiterials 

 for making a smoky fire. He made answer : " What do you want 

 with a fire, a stick is all that is necessary ? " I fetched him this^ 

 and then, seeing that he was in e.arnest, took refuge inside 

 my mosquito net. The cupboard, I might add, was nine feet 

 high with a floor-space of about four feet square. Presently 

 I lieard the stick striking about in the cupboard, and he called 

 out that bhe bees were all gone, in proof of which he poked out 

 a large piece of comb on the end of the stick. It wafs perfectly 

 true; he had knocked down the nest in broad daylight; and' the 



