6 



THE NATURALIST. 



spot wHere the hives were placed, our 

 operator jumped upon a table 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 moveable top off, and the 

 honeycomb, with which the hive v/as quite 

 full, was exposed to our view. In the 

 meantime an old priest having brought a 

 large basin, and everything being rea.dj, 

 our friend commenced to cut outthehoney- 

 comli with a knife apparently made 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 v/ith the 

 second hive, and in a manner quite satis- 

 factory. ' But, ' it may be asked, ' where 

 were the bees at this time ?' and that is the 

 most curious part of my story. They had 

 not been killed by the fumes of brimstone, 

 for it is contrary to the doctrine of the 

 Buddhist creed to take animal life ; nor 

 had they been stupified with fungus, which 

 is sometimes done at home ; but they were 



flying about over our heads in gre?.t num- 

 bers, and yet, although we were not pro- 

 tected in the slightest degree, not one of 

 us Ava.s stung ; and this was the more re- 

 markable 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 (wormwood), 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 the summer, sun-dried, 

 then twisted into bands, and it is ready for 

 use. At the commencement of the opera- 

 tion which I am. describing, one of the 

 substances 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 perfectly good-tempered, 

 and kept hovering about our heads, but 

 apparently incapable of doing us the 

 slightest injury. When the hives were 

 properly fixed the charm was put out, and 

 my host and his servants carried off the 

 honey in triumph ." — Manchester Examiner. 



§xxQxml %xixdm. 



THE ALPACAS AT METHLEY PAEK. 

 By Geo. Roberts. 



Methley is situate on a small, fertile plain, enclosed by the rivers Calder 

 and Aire, which, join about a mile below at Castleford. The hall, the pro- 

 perty of the Saville family, is now the seat of Titus Salt, Esq., well known 

 in England as the establisher of the Alpaca cloth manufacture, and as the 

 owner of one of the largest and handsomest manufactories in the world. , 

 The village, being within my rambling limits, I have m.ade several visits to | 

 the Park to watch the Alpacas kept there. Perhaps, a few notes on their 

 habits, &c, which I have gleaned from personal observation, and from the 

 person who has the care of them may be new to the readers of the Naturalist, j 



The herd at present only consists of three, one female and two males, j 

 all bred in this country by Mr. Salt. The female will now be about eleven ' 

 years old, and one of the males, the youngest, will be nearly two years old. [ 



