The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-01
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The author witnessed curious method Of
getting at the honey of wild bees, which he
describes as follows
The hee>-waN is still more important and valu-
able product formed by the wild bees. when build
huge honey-comhS suspended in the open ar from
thc under side OF the lofty branches OF the hgnest
trees. These are of >emicirrular form, ana often
three or four feet in diameter | once saw the ma
tive, take bees nest, and very interesting sight
il was In the valley where used to collect insects
one 1lav saw three or four Timorese men and boys
under high tree. and looking up, Jaw on very
lofty horizontal branch three large es'combs. The
tree straight and slnoolh-barked and without
branch till at seventy eighty feet from the ground
il gave ont the limb which the bees had chosen for
thpr home A, the men evidently looking
after the bees, waited to watch their operations.
one of them first produced long piece of wood
apparently the stem ota small tree orcreeper which
ne had brought with him, and began splitting it
through in several directions which Showed that it
W%> very tough and stringy. He then wrapped 1t
in palm-leayeS, which We're secured by twisting
slender creeper round them He then fastened his
cloth tightly round his lons, and, producing another
cloth, wrapped il round his head, neck and body,
and tied il irmly round his neck, leaving ms lace,
arms and legs completely bare. Slun& to ms CIR
die he carried long thin coil Of cord; and While he
had been making these preparations one OF his com
panion~ had cut strong cferPef or nu>h-Tppe elS4
or ten wards long. to one end of which the wood
icrch was fastened and lighted at the bottom, emit
nrasteadv stream of smoke. Just above the torch
hoppng-knilc was fastened by short cord.
The bce-huntcr now took hold of the husl-rope
l~t above the torch and passed the other end round
the trunk Of the tree, holding one end in each hand
Jerking ii up the tree little above his head. he set
h. foot against the trunk, and leaning back began
walking up it, 1t was wonderful to see the skill
with which he took advantage of the slightest irreg
ui;lie- of the bark obliquty of the stem to aid
hi> ascent, Jerking the stiff creeper few feet higher
when he had found firm hold for his bare foot.
Il almost made ne giddy to look at him rs he rapid
" got ulhrty, forty, fifty feet above the ground,
and kept wondering how he could possibly mount
the next few feet Of straight smooth trunk. Still,
however he kept on with much GOODNESS and al>-
parent certainty AS ii he were going up ladder, till
he got withen ten or fifteen feet Of the bees Then
he stopped a moment, and took care to swing the
torch (Which hung lust at his feet little toward
these dangerous insects, to send up the stream
Of smoke between him and them Still going on, in
4 minute more ne brought himself under the limb,
and in a manner quite unnelligible to me, seeing
lhat both hands We're occupied i'll supporting him.
elf by the creeper, managed to get upon it |
BY this time the bees began t. be alarmed, and
formed a dense buzZing swarm Just over him, but
he brought the torch up closer 10 him. and coolly
brushed away those that settled on his arms OF legs.
Then stretching himself along the limb, he crept to-
ward the nearest comb and swung the torch Just
nlpr ii. The moment the smoke touched it, its
color changed in most curious manner from black
10 white the my rads Of bees that had covered it
dying oil and forming dense cloud above and
around The man then lay at full length along the
limb and brushed off the remaining bees with his
hand and then drawing his knife cut OFT the comb
II one Slice close to the tree, and attaching the thin
cord to it. let ii down to his companions below He
was all this time enyel0ped in n crowd of angry
bees. and how he bore their stngS Coollv and
Went on with his work ut that giddv height de-
liheraely, was more than ] could understand. The
bees We're not evidently stupeted by the smoke or
driven away far by it, and il was impossible that the
small stream from the torch could protect his whole
body when al work. There We're three other combs
on The same tree, and ali were successfully taken
and furnished the whole party with luscious feast
Of honey and Young bees, well valuable lot
Of wax.
After two Of the combs had been let down, the
bee, became rather numerous below, lying about
wildly and singing yieously. Several got about
me and | was slung, and had TO run away, !
beating them off with my net and capturing them
for specimens. Several of them followed me for at
least half mile, getting into my hair and pcrsecut-
INC me most pertinaeiousy, so that | was more
J>tOn>hed than at the immunity OF the natives.
am inclined to think that slow and deliberate mo-
i1n aud no attempt at escape, are perhaps the best
safeguards 4 bee settling passive native
probably behaves a. it would on tree other in
animate substance. which it does not sttcmp; 10
sting still they must often suffer. hut they are
used TO the pain and learn to bear it impasSivey, As
without doing man could be ii bec-hunter.
These samples will serve TO convey an idea
"i the descriptive portions Of the work. In |
telmngled with it there is much Of scientific |
information. statistics and observations which |
gives : very interesting picture of this al
mos unknown portion Of the world.