November 24, 1863. ] JOURNAL OF HOETICULTXIRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



423 



Ant other Distinct Breed.— First, J. Monsey, Norwich (Malay). 

 Second, J. Wright, Woodbritlge (Brahma Pootra). Highly Commended, 

 H. Bagne, Stoke Ferry (Andalusian) ; S. Waters, Ipswich (Creve Ca;ur). 

 Commended, Rev. T. L. Fellowes; W. Pare?, Derby. (Some very superior 

 birds shown in this cla^s]. 



Bantams (Gold-laced).— First, Rev. F. Hodson, Bridgewater. Second, 

 J. Monsey, Norwich. Highly Commended, R. Stark, Hull. (Very good 

 'Clafls.) 



Baktaus (White, with Clean Legs).- First, J. Monsey, Norwich. Second, 

 R. stark, Hull. 



Bantams (Black, with Clean Legs).- First, J. Monsey, Norwich. Second, 

 Bev. F. Hodson, Bridgewater. Commended, Rev. F. Hodson. (Very 

 good class.) 



Game Bantams (Black or Brown-breasted Reds).- First, J. Monsey, 

 Norwich. Second, J. Wigg. Woodbridge. Highly Commended, J. Wigg ; 

 S. Waters. (Some extraordinarily good birds; Mr. Monsey's the best we 

 ever saw.) 



Bantams (Duckwinp).— First, G. Collinson, Yarmouth. -Second, 8. 

 Waters, Ipswich, Highly Commended, J. Monsey, Norwich. Commended, 

 G. Collinson, Yarmouth. (Good class.) 



Bantams (Any variety).- First, O. Nicholson. Fareham, Hants. Second 

 A. G. Cane, Southwell, Notts. Highly Commended, J. Whaites, Norwich. 



PIGEONS. 



CttOprEES.— First, }. Whaite, Norwich. Second, B, Mackley, Norwich- 

 Highly Commended, W. Reynolds, Yarmouth. 



Hkns of Any Colouk.— First, W. Raby, Norwich. Second, J. Whaite, 

 Norwich, 



Carrters (Black and Dun).— Prize, J. Whaite, Norwich. 



Almond Tumblers.— First, 6. H. Meachen, Norwich. Second, — Sum- 

 mers. Highly Commended, S. H. Mearhtn ; W. Simn.ons, Yarmouth. 



Ant Variety not BEFORK mkntioned.— First, Mrs. Craigie, Chigwell 

 (White Barbs). Second, J. Munsey, Norwich (Isabels). Highly Com- 

 mended, Mrs. Craigie (Runts) ; J. Chase, Yarmouth (Black Priests). 



(Pigeons Rot so good as might have been). 



Judges. — Canaries : Messrs. W. Copeman, J. Nichols, and 

 Breeze. British and Foreign Birds : Mr. Eobert Thorns. 

 PouUn/ and Pigeons : Mr. J. Martin^, Linton Park, Staple- 

 hiirst, Kent ; and Mr. N. Sykes, jun.. Globe Koad, London. 



MICEOSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF FOUL 

 BEOOD. 



N.°3 



W.°l. 



The above rough sketches are the resiilt of an investigation 

 into a disease named by apiarians " foul brood," which foul 

 brood is the dying of some of the larvsB or young bees in 

 the cells before the covering of the cells is ruptured or 

 broken by the young bees. The decomposed young brood 

 forms a brown sticky or treacly mass, and this when care- 

 fully examined with a drop of distilled water under a very 

 high power, a one-eighth or one-sixteenth, gives the above, 

 the size of which is about one-twenty-four-thousandth 

 or one-twenty-five-thousandth of an inch in the transverse 

 diameter. 



No. 1 are sketches of the animals as seen alive. The dark 

 triangular centre of the larger figures appear to me to be 

 shades thrown by the singularity of their bodies ; but being 

 so minute and their gradually shifting their position makes 

 it very difficult to determine with certainty. The nest of 

 the animals is semi-transparent, their movements a slight 

 undulatory lateral motion. 



In Nos. 2 and 3 the animals were dead. They were found in 

 honey kindly furnished by Mr. Woodbury for examination. 

 The honey he informed me had been heated, which in aU 

 probability destroyed the life of the animals. They seem 

 here to have shrunk up, and most of them had lost their 

 tails and appeared like the upper figure and opaque, or 

 nearly so, except the two wing-like processes on the side. 



The No. 2 are very cm-ious, and suggest the idea of an 

 ■outline figure of the Hose-in-hose Polyanthus, or some of 

 the Serttilaridae amongst the Corallines. Can this be its 

 mode of propagation ? It certainly appears very like it, and 

 if so is apparently carrying out the great mode of propaga- 

 tion by fission like most, if not all, of the lower forms of 

 animal Ufe. 



The affinity of these animals to others, or their place in 

 nature, I must leave for future study ; for, being creatures so 

 minute, it is very difficult to assign to them their position 

 amongst the multitudinous forms of microscopic animal 

 life. — Edwaed Pabfitt, Devon and Exeter Institution. 



DEIVING BEES. 



So many inquiries reach me from correspondents who have 

 failed in driving and uniting bees, that I deem it worth 

 while to enter upon the subject at some length, and fully to 

 describe what I have found the best mode of effecting the 

 desired object. 



Let no successful operator deride or underrate the diffi- 

 culties which often beset the novice in his first attempts at 

 driving bees. I say often, but not always — in some few 

 instances success is attained at once, as it were by a for- 

 tunate inspiration, and one successful operation generally 

 begets so much confidence that all subsequent difficulties 

 are readily overcome. Such was, I believe, the case with 

 that accomplished apiarian " B. & W." when under the noTn 

 de plume of " A Country Cueate " he first delighted myself, 

 in common with the other readers of the earlier volumes of 

 the then Cottaoe Gardener, by the interesting and graphic 

 details of his earlier experiences contained in the " History 

 of an Apiary." With myself, however, the case was fer 

 different, and it was only after many ineffectual attempts 

 that I at length succeeded so recently as the summer of 

 1859 in first driving a stock of bees. Since that time my 

 practice in this way has been very extensive, and as expe- 

 rience has led me slightly to modify my original proceedings, 

 I am not without hope that by giving full details I may 

 succeed in smoothing the path of some who m^ be desirous 

 of mastering the art of driving, whilst they have no apiarian 

 friend who is competent to instruct them by his example, 

 which in this case especially is better, far better, than precept. 

 Driving bees should always be performed in the daytime, 

 and the beginner had better wear a bee-dress and stout 

 gloves;* but the only absolutely essential implements are 

 a couple of empty hives (one of which should be of the same 

 diameter as the hive to be operated on), an empty bucket, 

 a long piece of stout linen (a roller-towel with the seam 

 ripped answers admirably), a sufficient length of large twine, 

 and a lighted fumigator or cigar, or some smouldering Uneu 

 rags. 



The bucket having been so placed as to stand firmly on 

 the ground about a yard fi-om the stock to be operated upon, 

 a little smoke should be blown into the entrance. As soon 

 as the bees retire the hive must be slightly raised from its 

 floor-board and a few whiffs of smoke blown under it. Then 

 raise the hive altogether from its place and steadily invert 

 it on the bucket, covering it immediately with an empty 

 hive of the same size, and closing the junction of the two 

 by first winding the cloth round them, and then securing it 

 by four turns of string, taking two turns round the upper 

 and two round the lower hive. The bees within being thus 

 safely ensconced, the second empty hive may be placed on 

 the floor-board to amuse those returning from the fields, and 

 the united hives with the bucket conveyed to a shady spot 

 at a little distance. Here it will be found very convenient 

 to have a couple of kitchen chairs, upon one of which the 

 hives and bucket may be placed, whilst the operator seats 

 himself on the other, and then a smart and regular rapping 

 of the fuU hive with the palms of the hands should take 

 place. In about ten minutes the great majority of the bees 

 will generally be so alarmed as to quit their own hive and 

 take refuge in the empty one — a fact which may be ascer- 

 tained by listening to the noise made by them in ascending. 

 At the expiration of the above-named period the cloth may 

 be removed, and the hives sufficiently separated by raising 

 one side of the upper one to admit of inspecting the interior. 

 Few bees will be disposed to escape, and very rarely wUl 

 they commence an attack. If nearly all have ascended into 

 the hitherto empty hive, it may at once take the place of 

 the decoy hive on the floor-board, and the full one may be 

 • a wide-mouthed bag of coarse black net, sufficiently large and long 

 to envelope the head with a hat on, and reaching well be'ow the neck, 

 where it is secured by the coat buttoned over it, forms a very simple and 

 efficient bee-dress- The best protection for the hands is a pair ot Indian 

 rubber gloves, such as are used by photographers. 



