340 The Honey-Makers 



replied, " Oh ! yes, when my aunt died, I told every skep ^ 

 myself, and put them into mourning," and in his book, 

 " The Honey Bee," Harris says : — 



" I have since ascertained the existence of the same 

 superstition in Cornwall, Devonshire, Gloucestershire 

 (where I have seen black crape put round the hive or on 

 a small stick at its side), and Yorkshire." 



In the " Bee Journal," under the head of " Norfolk Bee- 

 Superstition " one writes : — 



" A neighbor of mine had bought a hive of bees at an 

 auction of the goods of a farmer, who had recently died. 

 The bees seemed very sickly, and not likely to thrive ; 

 when my neighbor's servant bethought him they had never 

 been put in mourning for their late master. On this he got 

 a piece of crape and tied it to a stick, which he fastened to 

 a hive. After this the bees recovered ; and when I saw 

 them they were in a very flourishing state — a result which 

 was unhesitatingly attributed to their having been put into 

 mourning." 



An Oxfordshire woman, according to the " Bee Journal," 

 a few years since declared that her grandfather had seven- 

 teen hives of bees at the time of his death, and because 

 no one told them of his demise every bee died. 



In a " Book about Bees " by Jenyns we find this interest- 

 ing anecdote. 



" The Rev. George Raynor, the well-known bee-keeper, 

 has given me the following story : — 



" An * old lady ' in this parish, whose husband died a short 

 time ago, was ' about to put her bees in mourning ' when 

 I dissuaded her, showing her how foolish was the idea that 

 the bee could understand anything about the death. 

 During the following winter the bees died. 



" I was never forgiven, although I offered more bees to 

 1 Hive. 



