CHAP. XVlll. 
THE HONEY-BIRD. 
163 
closely that it is not a yard off; and if you place a 
small piece of the honeycomb on the branch of a tre& 
the bird will at once commence making her repast. It 
will, however, rarely take you to a second bees’ nest after 
it is once satisfied. 
In connection with the foregoing, I must here re¬ 
count the following particulars regarding the death’s- 
head moth. 
The death’s-head moth, as found in South Africa, is 
about the size and length of a man’s finger, and it has 
a most perfect death’s-head-and-marrov/bones painted 
by Nature with all her beauty on its back. The legend, 
both amongst the Dutch and the natives of the Cape 
of Grood Hope, is, that this moth has a sting, and that 
a puncture from it causes instant death. This moth is 
generally found in beehives, particularly when they 
are in the ground or in decayed trees. 
One of the seven nests which the honey-bird showed 
me when en route to Natal had two of these death’s- 
head moths in it; and a most ludicrous scene took place, 
while we were taking out the honey. There were some 
Cape Corps Hottentot soldiers standing about looking 
on. Charles Somerset, who cared so little for the sting 
of bees that he got the name of the 6 Rattle,’ or badger, 
was taking out the honeycomb from the hollow of a 
large barboon or bean-tree, which grew out parallel 
with the earth and a few feet above it. 
M 2 
