The Portland daily press., 1865-10-27
Caprices of Bees.

1t is peculiarity Of bees that the7 vii suf
fer Some men to handle them with impJnity.
Wildnlan was man who seems to have had
an unusual attraction for them-a command
over them, as he termed it, though it is not ear
sy to comprehend how man could have COM
mand over tour or five thousand insects
On one occasion he paid visit to DR.. Tenn
pleton, then the Secretary of the society for
the encouragement of the arts, to prove to
him how bees submitted to has influence. He
was taken through the city in sedan chair,
and it is to be pr sumed, into the doctors
room, for when he presented himself his face
and head were covered with bees, and huge
cluster of them hung down like beard from
his chin. Notwithstanding this novel appear
ance he conversed with the ladies' and gentle
men who were present for a considerable time
without disturbing theinsects, and finally dis
missed them to their hives without anybody
being stung. -.-.-,..,.t. ss.t
e5 The fame Of his performance having reach
ed Lord Spencer, he invited him to Wimble-
ton, to meet aslarge party. of his friends. The
Countess had provided three stocks for the oc-
casion. He first took one of The hives and
emptied the live contents into his hat, to
show thRti it was not necessary to destroy the;
bees in order to deprive them of their honey.
He next presented himself with a colony of
them hanging about his head from his chain,
and then stepping out of window on to the
lawn, where he had directed a table covered
with awhile cloth to be placed, he put them
back into the hive. He then made them come
back again and swarm in the air, after which
he caused them to settle, and from thence he
took them up by handfuls, and proceeded to
pour them out of his hands as if they had no
more feeling than pebbles, and finally conclud-
ed this portion of the entertainment by caus-
ing them to re-enter their several hives. .sa
His Lordship was tooun well to be present at
these experiments, SO, later in the afternoon,
he was taken into his Lorlship's room with all
three Of the stocks hanging about him at one
time, one on his head, one on his breast, and
the other on his arm, from which place he af-
forwards transferred them to his face, SO he
was quite blinded, and was led in this condi-
ton to the lawn in front OF his Lordship's
window. lie next requested that horse be
brought round, which was done, the horse
having first been well clothed, to prevent ac-
cident. First taking the bees out of his ewes
that he might see what he was about, he
mounted the horse with the bees hanging
about him, and rode backwards and forwards
repeatedly, until the company had seen enough
Z OF his performance, when he dismounted and
placed the bees on the table, from whence he
dismissed them totheir respective hives Its
worthy OF remark that though there were a
great many persons present on this, as on the
PiOfAOuo OSO@SAoAAs y Ot 1oDOuy was SCu0g. III
is in reality impossible 10 explain why they
should favor one individual more than anoth-
er, but they certainly do soiaa l4baaz y ssossK
1t is related of the Duchess of Rutland that
a swarm followed her all the way from the
country to a house IN BerkleY Square, where
they were hived.
Accident has sometimes led to what Wild
I man did not design. A woman named Ben
nett, living near Birmingham, was beating
frying pan with a key, to keep the swarm
from going away, when they all at once set
tied upon her head, neck and shoFders.-
Lnckily for her she was woman of nerve,
and instead of making efforts to brush them,
| which would have probably caused her to be
stung to death, she kept quiet, notwithstand-
ing an occasional sting from the bees which
had crawled underneath her clothes, and
which were probably irritated from being UNI
! able to get out. When the evening came they
We're hiyed in the usual way.-l All the Year
4 Round 1a .'9i---l !" / - !s..-----s''' Pm.