The Arizona sentinel., 1886-09-25
BEES AND HONEY.
How They Have Figured in the
 Worlds History.

WOrlQ $ hlSCOry.
 The honey-bee has been an object o
 great interest from the very earlies
 ages; the most ancient historical records
 make frequent reference to it. "A lit
 tie balm and little honey formed par
 of the present which Jacob sent into
 Egypt to Joseph in the time of the great
 famine. The ''busy bee'' figures also
 in Greek as well as Hebrew his
 tory. The little creature has given
 name to many females ofhigh degree
 The Hebrew name of the bee Deborah
 was given to Rebecca's nurse, as also
 to that magnanlmous prophecies whose
 courage and patriotism inspired the
 Tagging zeal and waning energies ot
 her dispirited countrymen. The Greek
 name of the bee (Melissa) was given to
 one of the daughters of MelissuS, King
 of Crete. It was she who, with her sis ter Amalth8a, is fabled to have fed Jupiter with the milk of goats. She is said, also, to have first discovered the
 means of collecting honey from the stores of the bees, from which some an- cient writers inferred that she not only bore the name, but that she was actu- ally changed into bee.
 Another Greek story tells of woman of Corinth, also bearing the name of Melissa. who. having been admitted to Ofliciate in the festivals of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, afterward re- fused to initiate others, and was torn to pieces for her diSobedience, a swarm of bees being made to rise from her body. The old Greek name for the bee seems to have fallen into diSuse in this coun- try as name given to females, though there can be no reason why its use should not be revived, for it is, at least. as melodsous as the Hebrew name of the same significance, still applied to mony matron and maiden-a name which is expressive of honeyed sweet ness, as also of unwearied energy and untiring industry.
 Those who have had personal knowl- edge and experience of bee-culture will bear out the remark that bees are not particular as to the size or the position of the home in which they choose to dwell, SC that it suffices for them to carry on with security their wonderful operations. In their wild state, cavi- ties of rocks and hollow trees are alike available; and in their domestic condi- lions they have no preference for a straw skep over a wooden box, nor for the wooden house over the straw castle.
 The bee, which, while under proper control and management, is one of mans best friends, proves, when as- sailed by him in any way, terrible ad- versary. Allusion is made to this by Moses in his story of what befell the 1sraeliteS in their wilderness soiourn: 'The Amorites came out against you, and chased you as bees do, and destroyed you. The strength and force of their sting is such as to enable them to pierce the skin of the horse and other large animals and kill them. Their ordinary speed when in flight, is from sixty to eighty miles an hour, and they have been known to fly past the windows of an express train when travelling at full speed in the same direction. Their manner of attack is to dash straight at the object aimed at; and commonly, when excited by the presence of some unknown spectator, and especially by the intermeddling of some undexterous or mischievous person, they will attack the face, aiming especially at the eyes. When, therefore. the thousands which | inhabit single hive are aroused by the | sound of alarm, well understood 6y all | the inmates, to repel an invader, they | sally forth with a courage and deter l imitation which none can withstand, | attacking their foes on every side with a | fury it is impossible to resist. King | David must have witnessed just | such a scene, which he repro duces in his description of the | fierce attacks, the determined on- | slaugbts of his bitter and unrelenting foes: ''All nations compassed me about ] they compassed me about like bees"
 Somewhat recently, the mishap of a porter in handling box of bees in tran sit by railway created an amusing and rather alarming scene at the station. There was a general stampede of pas sengers and officials flying in every di- rect;on, chased by the infuriated bees. 1t was only when some one, skilled in the management of bees, catching the queen and placing her in the box, re- stored confidence and quiet, for, flock ing Loyalty to her standard, the whole colony returned to the case, which was in due time forwarded to its destination But even this was a small affair con- pared with what is related in ancient history of persons being driver from their habitations, and the inhabitants of an entire town being compelled to flee before myriads of bees. Aelianus, who fourished about POO A. D., gives an in stance of this in one of his seventeen books on animals. Mungo Park. too, the African traveller, mentions 8 mod ern instance which took place near Dooproo: I've had no sooner unloaded the asses than some of the people, being in search of honey, inopportunely dis yprbed large swarm of bees, They