On the Threshold of the Hive 



[7] 



The first impression of the novice 

 before whom an observation-hive ^ is 

 opened will be one of some disappoint- 

 ment. He had been told that this little 

 glass case contained an unparalleled activ- 

 ity, an infinite number of wise laws, 

 and a startling amalgam of mystery, ex- 

 perience, genius, calculation, science, of 

 various industries, of certitude and pre- 

 science, of intelligent habits and curious 

 feelings and virtues. All that he sees is 

 a confused mass of little reddish groups, 



^ By observation-hive is meant a hive .of glass, 

 furnished with black curtains or shutters. The best 

 kind have only one comb, thus permitting both faces 

 to be studied. These hives can be placed in a draw- 

 ing-room, library, etc., without inconvenience or dan- 

 ger. The bees that inhabit the one I have in my 

 study in Paris are able even in the stony desert of that 

 great city, to find the wherewithal to nourish them- 

 selves and to prosper. 



27 



