i i i ' I
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rill
bees, one of which deserves to be recorded. They assert that at the entrance of
each hive a sentinel is placed to watch the outgoings and incomings of his fellows,
and that this sentinel is relieved at the expiration of twenty-four hours, when
another assumes his post and duties for the same period. On the duration of this
guard some doubts inay reasonably be entertained, but of its existence ample evidence
was obtained by repeated observation. At all times a single bee was seen
occupying the hole leading to the nest, who, on thè approach of another, withdrew
himself within a small cavity, apparently made for this purpose on the left-hand side
of the aperture, and thus allowed the passage of the individual entering or quitting
the hive ; the sentinel constantly resuming his station immediately after the passage
had been effected. That it was the same bee which had withdrawn that again
took his station in the opening, could not be mistaken ; for his withdrawal was
only into the cavity on the side of the hole, in which his head was generally in
view during tlie brief interval while the other was passing ; and tliat head again
immediately started forwards into tlie passage. During how long a time the same
individual remained on duty could not be ascertained; for although many attempts
were made to mark him, by introducing a pencil tipped with paint, he constantly
eluded the aim taken at him, and it was therefore impossible to determine with
certainty whether the current reports concerning him were or were not founded in
fact. With the paint thus attempted to be applied to the bee, the margin ofthe
opening was soiled; and the sentinel, as soon as he was free from the annoyance
he suffered from the thrusts repeatedly made at his body, approached the foreign
substance to taste it, and evidently disliking the material he withdrew into his
hive. The hole was watched to see what would be the result of this investigation
of the substance, and a troop of bees was soon observed to advance towards the
place, each individual bearing a small particle of wax or of propolis in his mandibles,
which he deposited in his turn upon the soiled part of the wood. The little
labourers then returned to the hive,-and repeated the operation until a small pile
rose above the blemished part, and completely relieved the inhabitants from its
annoyance.
If the existence of such a sentinel as has just been described can safely be
admitted, his utility would be unquestionable, as being at all times prepared to
encounter a straggling stranger, or to give warning of the approach of a more
numerous body of foes. Such foes actually exist in moderately sized black ants,
which sometimes in small, and occasionally in large, bands attack the hive, and
between which and the industrious bees desperate conflicts often take place. In
these struggles the bees generally obtain the victory; but they are occasionally
mastered by the overpowering numbers of their opponents.
VOCABULARY
W O R D S O F T H E W E S T E R N E SQ U IM A U X .
T his vocabulary contains a collection o f words made by Mr. Collie, Mr. Osmer, and myself
from s traggling parties of Esquimaux, whom we met principally in Kotzebue Sound. I t
agrees in many respects with that given by Captain P a rry in his second voyage, p a rticula rly in
th e numerals, the elements, and celestial bodies, and the names of animals which are common
to both places, and leaves no doubt of the two languages b ein g radically tb e s am e ; though,
as mig h t be expected, the idioms are somewhat different.
Captain P a rry ’s remarks upon th e language o f the Easte rn Esquimaux seem to ap p ly
equally to th a t o f the W e s te rn nation, of which the v e ry few words b eginning with b, d , I,
g-, r , u ,. and th e absence o f the letters f , q, v , x , may be adduced as instances. T h e W e s te rn
Esquimaux also appe ar to have th e peculia rity of varying tlieir pronunciation, b u t without materia
lly softening the words. On the whole, the W e s te rn Esquimaux language has more g u tturals,
and the words in gene ral have a harsher sound than those o fth e Easte rn tribe.
M y knowledge of the language is too limited to enable me to offer an y fu rth e r remarks
on this subject, and I can only submit tbe vocabulary as it is, persuaded, from the care th at
has been bestowed upon it, th a t it will prove useful to persons who may visit the N. W .
coast o f America. A t the same time I cannot vouch for a perfect understan d in g always
subsisting between the inquirer and th e respondent, though I have reason to th in k it was
not often otherwise. T h e most ridiculous mistakes have occasionally been made by collectors
o f words o f barbarous languages, and I was early warned to be careful, by b ein g
innocently enrolled in the number o f persons who had been deceived. I one day showed
an Esquimaux an engraving o f a musk bull, to which h e immediately" applied th e name
of M ig n u n e, and I wrote in my vocabulary accordingly, b u t I soon afterwards discovered
th a t the word applied only to the material with which the bull appeared to be drawn,
that is, p lum b a g o , o f which the Esquimaux have a g re a t deal, and th a t the p rope r name for
the animal was a very different word.
T h e initials in th e small column denote the co lle c to r; those words which have a C
affixed to them are to be pronounced according to the following directions:
. “ A is either K (fat), or il (far), as in W a lk e r's English Pronouncing Dictionary. T h is
le tte r is generally marked, and when it is not, its association with the consonants will point out
th e particular sound to be u sed*. E is gene rally the S of th e above-mentioned Dictionary,
bu t when marked e, it is to be pronounced as in m e . E i is to be pronounced as in German,
e in , e ise l, g'c ise r. E u us in French, / a s in p in . 0 as in n6t, or otherwise, as marked.
Oo. as in moon. U as in lub.
L 'l is according to the Spanish pvonnnciation, and g l , where mentioned, according to the
Ita lia n ; w here not, as in English. Qu as in English. R as in French, and R still more roughly
guttural, as in the Northumbrian dialect. T h is mark (+) always points out a g u ttu ra l pro-
• Au is to be sounded as aoiii in French—very nearly as ou in the English word sound. A i is heard in
wi/d. G is hard, unless otiierwise mentioned.