Entomological Society. 4207 



determined one day to take some honey from two of them, a half-witted priest who is 

 famous for his prowess in such matters was sent for to perform the operation. This 

 man, in addition to his priestly duties, has the charge of the buffaloes which are kept 

 ou the farm attached to the temple. He came round in high glee, evidently consider- 

 ing his qualification of no ordinary kind for the operation he was about to perform. 

 Curious to witness his method of proceeding with the business, T left some work with 

 which I was busy, and followed him and the other priests and servants of the 

 establishment to the place where the hives were fixed. The form of the hives, in this 

 instance, was cylindrical, each was about three feet in height, and rather wider at the 

 bottom than the top. When we reached the spot where the hives were placed, our 

 operator jumped upon a table placed there for the purpose, and gently lifted down one 

 of the hives and placed it on its side on the table. He then took the movable top off, 

 and the honeycomb, with which the hive was quite full, was exposed to our view. In 

 the meantime an old priest having brought a large basin, and everything being 

 ready, our friend commences to cut out the honey-comb with a knife made apparently 

 for the purpose, and having the handle almost at right angles with the blade. Having 

 taken out about one-third of the contents of the hive, the top was put on again, and 

 the hive elevated to its former position. The same operation was repeated with the 

 second hive, and in a manner quite as satisfactory. But it may be asked, * Where 

 were the bees all this time ?' — and this is the most curious part of my story. They 

 had not been killed by the fumes of brimstone, for it is contrary to the doctrines of the 

 Buddhist creed to take away animal life— nor had they been stupefied with a fungus, 

 which is sometimes done at home, but they were flying about above our heads in great 

 numbers, and yet, although we were not protected in the slightest degree, not one of 

 us was stung; and this was the more remarkable as the bodies of the operator and 

 servants were completely naked from the middle upwards. The charm was a simple 

 one : — it lay in a few dry stems and leaves of a species of Artemisia which grows wild 

 on these hills, and which is largely used to drive that pest the mosquito out of the 

 dwellings of the people. This plant is cut early in summer, sun-dried, then twisted 

 into bands, and it is ready for use. At the commencement of the operation I am 

 describing, one end of the substance was ignited and kept burning slowly as the work 

 went on. The poor bees did not seem to know what to make of it. They were per- 

 fectly good-tempered and kept hovering about our heads, but apparently quite incapa- 

 ble of doing us the slightest injury. When the hives were properly fixed in their 

 places, the charm was put out, and my host and his servants carried off the honey in 

 triumph. ' Come,' said he to the operator and us who were lookers on, ' come and 

 drink wine.' * Aye,' said the half-witted priest, ' drink wine, drink wine ;' so we all 

 adjourned to the refectory, where wine in small cups was set before us." 



Mr. Curtis suggested that it might be worth trying if any of our English species 

 of Artemisia would have the same* effect as the Chinese. 



Mr. Westwood said that a neighbour of his had turned up his hives and taken out 

 the honey he required, smoking a cigar during the operation, without suffering any 

 injury from the bees ; but he himself had deprived hives of their honey with perfect 

 safety, simply by drumming the bees into an empty hive, without any smoking. 



Habits of Panurgus ursinus. 

 Mr. Curtis communicated the following note on Panurgus ursinus:— 



