The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-07
Hornets, Bees and CentipedeS in
India.
[Nature.1

On one occasion / was showing some
friends over the famous "Arrah House,"
and opened small window to let in more
air and light. In doing so unwittingly
disturbed the aahesions of great hor-
nets nest, and one of the infuriated in
mates at once stung me on the left TEN
pie. The pain was intense and the swell
ing immediate. Aware OF the constitu-
tional disturbance which would follow, /
made for home, (about five hundred yards
distant, and reached the threshold of my
drawing-room, and there / was brought
to an instant standstill, unable to move
hand or foot, and trembling like an aspen
leaf. was laid on sofa, and asked for a
glass of port wine, which soon revived
me. This dreadful hornet, nearly two in
ches long, deep brown, witha broad yellow
band across the abdomen, builds large
globular paper nests, and is not rare in
the Himalayas, where it may often be
seen in the pines. The Hill men dread 1t
extremely, and with good reason, for a
swarm, or even few individuals, will at
tack you fiercely and follow you for miles.
Grihs, who have fired at nest, against
the ren1onstrances of their Hill men, have
paid dearly for their rashness. When at
tackled, the Hill men, squat down, and
drawing their blankets closely around
them, await the subsidence of the storm
rarely escaping two or three stings. |
have known one of these hornets kill a
child by its sting; and many horses have
been destroyed by an infuriated swarm.
These are the dreadful Amorites of old.
The common bee, which in India Of
ten build in trees and ruins, frequently
attacks men and horses, irritated by the
smoke of the fires (for cooking) lighted
under the trees or in the buildings, and a
general sauve qui peut is the only mode
of escape. Many ludicrous adventures
occur from this cause outhere, and / will
describe recent one: The officers of a
British regiment stationed at Umballa
were dressing for Sunday morning church
parade, when the alarm was given in the
compound of three who lived together
that the bees were abroad. As the escape
from the parade was impossible, and the
| infuriated bees had to be faced, the three
grifis made syce (horse attendant) en-
velop himself in blanket, while each
wrapped sheet around himself, and then
formed line, the front officers holding
on to the syce's bamboo, and the other
two to one another's swords, and in this
way they CROPPED their way out of the
compound surrounded by theangry bees
cautiously emerging from their sheets on
the high road, the first person they en-.
countered was their Colonel and his fam
ily driving to church. The finale may
be imagined. | have always been fond Of
sleeping out during the hot weather, sui
Jave frigido, or rather torrido, and used
to ohave sooraee "a porous earthen water
bottle) capped by tumbler, on the
ground by my side. One night | awokt
to drink, and, half awake, lifting tht
sooraee on to my naked knee, proceeded
to fill the tumbler. In moment tel
as if a red-hot poker had been freely ap
, piled to my knee, and, thinking that
, had been stung by snake, ! rushed int
the house for light and dose OF sa
J volatile. was now wide awake, and re
, turned with the light to examine int
matters, and then / found large cent
pede coiled round the bottom of sooraee
whittier it had come for coolness or
! drink, or both. 1t was six inches long
: Judging from the size of the burn, lfor
, bore the large red mark for many days,
|. I inferred that had not been bitten, bu
Z that the whole animal was acrid.