24  Pafturage of Bees. 
Scotland alone, I will venture to affirm, would, 
in fach a cafe, produce more honey and wax, 
in one good feafon, than would load one of his 
Majefty’s firftrate men of war. Butas, hither- 
to, no fuch method has been difcovered, and 
perhaps any fuch attempt would prove fruit- 
lefs, let us ftudy to increafe, as quickly as pof- 
fible, the number of thofe watural chemifis, our 
valuable, faithful, and induftrious fervants, the 
Bets, who are every way qualified for the im- 
portant tafk : having an exquifite fmell to di- 
rect them to the flowers containing the necta- 
rine juice,—a probofcis, or facking tube, to ena- 
ble them to extract it,—a refervoir to contain 
it,—wings to carry it away,—and fine clean 
veffels of their own manufacture to treafure it 
up in. And let us ever deprecate the barba- 
rous practice of deftroying fuch valuable crea- 
tures, who feem defigned by Nature to work 
indefatigably for the benefit of mankind* ; and 
therefore 
“ We cannot more ftrongly exprefs our deteftation of the 
barbarous, and too general practice of {moaking- hives, than 
in the beautiful and energetic language of the immortal 
Thomfon : 
Ah, fee where robb’d, and murder’d, in that pit 
Lies the ftill heaving hive! at evening f{natch’d, 
Beneath the cloud of guilt concealing night, - 
And 
