The Bee-Lad
December 12, 1775.
We had in this village, more than twenty years ago, an idiot boy, whom I well remember, who, from a child, showed a strong propensity to bees; they were his food, his amusement, his sole object; and the people of this cast have seldom more than one point in view, so this lad exerted all his few faculties on this one pursuit.
In the winter he dozed away his time, within his father's house by the fireside, in a kind of torpid state, seldom departing from the chimney-corner; but in the summer he was all alert, and in quest of his game in the fields, and on sunny banks.
Honey bees, humble bees, and wasps, were his prey wherever he found them: he had no apprehensions from their stings, but would seize them nidos manibus, and at once disarm them of their weapons, and suck their bodies for the sake of their honey bags.
Sometimes he would fill his bosom between his shirt and his skin with a number of these captives and sometimes would confine them in bottles.
He was very Merops apiaster, or bee-bird; and very injurious to men who kept bees; for he would slide into their bee-gardens, and, sitting down before the stools, would rap his finger on the hives, and so take the bees as they came out. He has been known to overturn hives for the sake of honey, of which he was passionately fond.
Where metheglin was making he would linger round the tubs and vessels, begging a draught of what he called bee-wine.
As he ran about he used to make a humming noise with his lips, resembling the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and sallow, and of a cadaverous complexion; and, except in his favorite pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, discovered no manner of understanding. Had his capacity been better and directed to the same object, he had perhaps abated much of our wonder at the feats of a more modern exhibitor of bees; and we may justly say of him now,
Thou,
Had thy presiding star propitious shone,
Shouldst Wildman be.
When a tall youth, he was removed from hence to a distant village, where he died, as I understand, before he arrived at manhood.
- Gilbert White
We had in this village, more than twenty years ago, an idiot boy, whom I well remember, who, from a child, showed a strong propensity to bees; they were his food, his amusement, his sole object; and the people of this cast have seldom more than one point in view, so this lad exerted all his few faculties on this one pursuit.
In the winter he dozed away his time, within his father's house by the fireside, in a kind of torpid state, seldom departing from the chimney-corner; but in the summer he was all alert, and in quest of his game in the fields, and on sunny banks.
Honey bees, humble bees, and wasps, were his prey wherever he found them: he had no apprehensions from their stings, but would seize them nidos manibus, and at once disarm them of their weapons, and suck their bodies for the sake of their honey bags.
Sometimes he would fill his bosom between his shirt and his skin with a number of these captives and sometimes would confine them in bottles.
He was very Merops apiaster, or bee-bird; and very injurious to men who kept bees; for he would slide into their bee-gardens, and, sitting down before the stools, would rap his finger on the hives, and so take the bees as they came out. He has been known to overturn hives for the sake of honey, of which he was passionately fond.
Where metheglin was making he would linger round the tubs and vessels, begging a draught of what he called bee-wine.
As he ran about he used to make a humming noise with his lips, resembling the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and sallow, and of a cadaverous complexion; and, except in his favorite pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, discovered no manner of understanding. Had his capacity been better and directed to the same object, he had perhaps abated much of our wonder at the feats of a more modern exhibitor of bees; and we may justly say of him now,
Thou,
Had thy presiding star propitious shone,
Shouldst Wildman be.
When a tall youth, he was removed from hence to a distant village, where he died, as I understand, before he arrived at manhood.
- Gilbert White