THE HONEY-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND. 55 
so irascible here as they are in England; and I account 
for it in this way: They have not so many enemies to 
contend with; the absence of wasps, in particular, 
enables them to preserve a more equal temper. I wish 
all Englishmen were as much improved in this respect as the 
lees are. 
Many remedies have been given for a sting; above 
all, pull the sting completely out, as it is barbed like a 
fish-hook, and will work into the flesh; then squeeze the 
poison out with the pipe of a small key, as you would a 
thorn, and put a little honey on the place, just to keep 
the air away: if this is done at first, the swelling will 
generally be a mere nothing. The pain only lasts ttvo 
minutes; at worst, it is only a swelled eye for a day 
or two. 
Another very common nostrum for rubbing on the 
place, after the poison is squeesed out with a key, is the 
washerwoman’s blue-bag. Above all, never blow on 
your bees, they will try to sting directly, if you do. If 
they come all about you, making the noise which you 
will soon learn to know as a sign of anger, go quietly 
away, and put your head into a thick scrub, if any is 
near. This will brush them off. If you want to catch 
any of the bees, make a bold sweep at them with your 
hand, as though there was no such thing as a sting in 
the world ; the bee will be so astonished that she will 
not sting at first. Then hold her in your closed hand, 
without pressing her, and she will not sting. I have so 
caught three or four at a time. If you want to do any¬ 
thing to a single bee, catch her, “ as if you loved.her,” 
between your finger and thumb, where the tail joins on 
to the body : she thus cannot sting you. 
Honey and Wax for Domestic Purposes. 
Dr. Cumming says thatIt has been urged as a commer¬ 
cial question that honey is not now of the same importance 
as it was before the sugar-cane was discovered,, and 
that gas has superseded wax candles. I am satisfied 
from many considerations, that if people would eat 
honey at breakfast instead of rancid London butter and 
nasty greasy bacon, not only would their health be 
