GENERAL REMARKS. 245 



amusing illustration of the ignorance referred to, we 

 transcribe an order we received a short time since from a 

 seminary in the north of England. The young gentleman 



thus writes: — "Master presents his compliments 



to Messrs. Neighbour, and begs they will send him a 

 swarm of bees; he encloses six postage stamps, and 

 hopes they will send him a good swarm." This embryo 

 naturalist was evidently of a mercantile turn, and had a 

 mind to buy in the cheapest market, for in a postscript he 

 adds : — "Please let it be fourpence, if you can ! " We 

 need scarcely say that, in reply, we endeavoured to 

 enlighten our juvenile correspondent as to what con- 

 stituted a swarm of bees, and returned the stamps, with 

 •our thanks. 



Much superstition has existed, and, in some quarters, 

 still exists, among the poor respecting bees. If a death 

 occurs in the family of the bee-owner, these superstitious 

 folk consider it needful to make the bees aware of the 

 bereavement by "waking" them; that is, by giving a 

 few raps at the entrance, and audibly announcing the 

 circumstance. If this be not done, " no luck, " say they, 

 will come of the bees the following season. Last sum- 

 mer, even near the metropolis, we heard a cottager 

 bemoaning to his neighbour ' ' his bad luck with his bees, ' ' 

 when the other replied, "Ah! no wonder; you never 

 '.waked ' your bees when your wife died ; what can you 

 expect if you omit such needful duty ? " In many parts of 

 France, as well as here, it is a custom on such occasions 



