242 HONEY AND BUTTER 



These notches receive the bite of a cotton thread 

 loop, and when suspended by this, its position in 

 any of the knots mark no established standard 

 weight, but merely that of the article to be ex- 

 changed; of course such a weighing-machine can 

 only be employed in barter. 



Honey and butter are not regularly brought to 

 the market as the supply is dependant in a great 

 measure upon the season, scarcely any during the 

 latter part of the dry, and the earlier part of the 

 wet season, being to be obtained but through the 

 favour of the Negoos, who forwards to his governors 

 or favoured guests large jars of these articles as 

 presents during the period of its scarcity. The 

 manner in which butter is preserved by the Abys- 

 sinians is rather peculiar ; and I must observe, that 

 strictly, all the honey produced in the country is 

 claimed by the Negoos, who, however, generally 

 gives some equivalent for it, so that I never heard 

 this apparently arbitrary circumstance complained 

 of ; although I have frequently noticed the clandes- 

 tine manner in which small quantities of this deli- 

 cacy were obtained by the nominal owners, who 

 wished to have the opportunity of obtaining some 

 few ahmulahs by selling it to me. The kind that 

 was exposed in the market for sale, was the refuse 

 of the first droppings of the comb, or merely the 

 last drainings mixed with more than one-half of 

 fragmentary wax, and the dead bodies of bees. The 

 Abyssinians, to their credit, do not kill these in- 



