278 
THE HONEY BEE, A CARNIVOROUS INSECT. 
As a general rule, the shortest time, in order to give 
it fair play, in which it should be kept in bottle, is 
two years; four years improve it more, and in six 
years, it arrives at perfection Wine merchants are 
often at fault in keeping wine too long in the cask 
before bottling, in consequence of which, its flavor 
becomes essentially impaired. The old wines, 
shipped from Oporto, of six or eight years standing, 
should be bottled as soon as practicable after their 
arrival at any port in the north of Europe, or of 
the United States. 
Of the different qualities, first stands the “ tawny 
old Port,” just from the cask—“bright as a ruby,” 
but its ruby tint has flown, and it is perfectly 
“ dry” and “ soft.” If these qualities are not com¬ 
bined, do not confide in it. It must have spirit and 
a slight aroma, but no vapidness. Then, if the 
honorable wine merchant assures you that it was 
shipped to him by one of the first Oporto houses, 
and that he has had it bottled in his cellar for five 
or six years, you may rest satisfied that you have 
a genuine article, and one which is well worth the 
price you pay for it. 
The next class to be sought, is what has been 
bottled “ younger,” but afterwards kept as long, or 
longer, than the “ tawny old Port.” It should be 
of a sparkling red color, with a perfect fragrance 
when the cork is drawn—both “dry” and “ soft,” 
with a “fine nutty or fruity flavor,” like the es¬ 
sence, if you please, of a ripe, hot-house grape. 
And, above all, if you wish to drink unadulterated 
wine, do not buy, except of the most respectable 
dealers; for it is verily believed that the consumption 
of Port wine has decreased more from the ignorance, 
or knavery, of petty and dishonest wine dealers, 
than from any other cause. Either of the two sorts 
of wine, described above, may be used by invalids, 
or kept for summer use; but a stouter wine, with 
plenty of spirits, and a degree of smoothness, is 
preferable for winter, or for those who have “ hot¬ 
ter mouths.” If the wine contains too much sac¬ 
charine matter, it will sink sooner in water, than 
will old wine ; and if it sinks at once, when poured 
gently into a glass, do not buy it, as it is not a pro¬ 
perly fermented wine. 
There are many other descriptions of Port of less 
value than those named above, yet tolerably good; 
some rather coarser and rougher; others thinner 
and less rich, varying much, according to their age ; 
so that it would be difficult to give any advice con¬ 
cerning them. 
In regard to the color of Port wine, as stated in 
a former letter, it proceeds alone from the skin of 
the grape. Many persons, it would seem, have an 
idea that the juice of the Douro grape is dark, 
whereas, in fact, it is perfectly colorless. When, 
therefore, they insist on having more color in 
the wine, in reality they ask for more of the 
substance, which forms the skin. Again, if the 
skin be of a reddish hue, as is often the case, the 
wine cannot be black. Neither do dark-skinned 
grapes make the most delicate wine; indeed a very 
dark color and delicacy of flavor are seldom known 
to exist in the same wine. That the grape, when 
much pressed, till the very stalks are mashed to a 
pulp, and every particle of coloring matter is ex¬ 
tracted, stands to reason ; however, much they be 
pressed, there are few kinds of grapes that will 
impart a black color to wine. Let it be remembered, 
then, that wine of a very dark tint, when it arrives 
in the United States, is more apt to lose color than 
that of a lighter and natural hue. 
In former times, the juice of elderberries was 
frequently added to Port wine, in order to heighten 
its color, as well as to impart an astringent taste. 
This practice was at one time carried to such an 
extent that the Royal Wine Company of Portugal 
■was at the expense and trouble of rooting out all 
the elder bushes in the wine district, with the ob¬ 
ject of prohibiting their growth. 
To select a pipe, or a case, of wine, is a matter 
of no small moment; and he who has this task to 
perform should recollect two things—the state of 
the weather, and the state of his own stomach. 
Let him choose a fine, bright day, but not one which 
is cold, after having passed the evening previous 
quietly at home, abstaining from wine and other 
strong drinks; for, otherwise, he will run the risk 
of making a mistake. If heated, he will like a 
thin, vapid wine—if he come from a cold air, he 
will prefer one that is brandied and strong ; neither 
of which will please him, when the weather is 
mild. Few persons, it is well known, can form a 
correct opinion of Port wine, by tasting it only 
once. After dinner, if one tastes a dry, old wine, 
after having partaken of sweetmeats, or after 
having drunk a rich luscious wine, the first will 
appear vapid, and without flavor. In choosing 
wine from the cask, it is seldom so “soft,” so 
“ bright,” nor so “ spirity,” as when taken from 
the bottle. 
In conclusion, decide in your own mind as to 
what sort of wine you require ; go to the honest 
wine merchant on a fine, balmy day, with a clean 
palate ; remember not to care about a dark color , and 
shut your eyes when you taste. Take a dry wine 
first, to wash out your mouth; then, the one most 
recommended. After sipping six samples, begin to 
distrust your taste. Do not judge of a rich wine 
after a dry one, nor vice versa., and do not be led to 
taste all sorts of other wines before you make your 
choice. 
Thus, kind readers, with many apologies, I end 
my dissertation on grapes and Port wine. 
F. R. S. 
San Jodo da Pesquiera , ) 
Upper Douro, Sept. 30th, 1847. j 
The Honey Bee, a Carnivorous Insect. —It is 
generally supposed that bees feast solely upon the 
sweets of flowers; but in the environs of Oren¬ 
burg, in Asiatic Russia, they are believed to suck 
blood, decayed flesh, &c. Rytchkof, being desirous 
of ascertaining if bees are really consumers of 
flesh, plucked a dead fowl and placed it within a 
hive, where it remained untouched by the bees for 
three or four days; but no sooner did it begin to 
decay than they eagerly assailed it, leaving nothing 
but the bones. They have even been known to 
make their habitation in the skulls and other cavi¬ 
ties of dead animals. 
A Natural Fly Poison. —The flowers of the 
oleander (Nerium oleander), it is stated, yield a 
honey that p roves fatal to myriads of flies, 
