August 7, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



113 



Decks (Any variety).— First, C. Willosford, Tavistock. Socond, — Now- 

 berry, Prince Town. 



Pigeons.— First, — Merrifield, junr. Tavistock. Second,— Williams, 

 Tavistock. Third, J. Brawn, Tavistock. 



Rabbits.— First, — Morriflold, jun. Second, — liakcr, Tavistock. Third, 

 Rev. J. Wollocoinbo. 



CAGE BIRDS. 



Canaries (Yellow Belgian). -First and Second, S. J. C. Blanchard, 

 Tavistock. Third, — Rook, Plvmonth. 



Canarles (Other Yellow).— First, J. Brawn. Second, T. Bottcrill, Grim- 

 stone. 



Canaries (Mottled or Fancy).— Prize, — Davy, Tavistock. 



Mules.— First, \Y. Williams. Second, J. Trnscott. 



Goldfinch.— First, — Stanburv, Tavistock. Second, S. J. C. Blanchard. 



Thrush. —First, J. Acton, Tavistock. Second, — Pellow, South 

 Sydenham. 



Blackbirds. — Prize, — Hicks, Tavistock. 



Best Collection of Cage Birds.— First, T. Bottorill. Sec ond, J. 

 Brawn. 



Judges. — Messrs. E. Cornelius, J. Stannes, and J. Doel, Union 

 Street, Plymouth. 



NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY EST ESSEX— No. ". 



The Shrikes or Butcher Birds form a connecting link be- 

 tween the Birds of Prey and the Pies. But three species are 

 found in this country, aud one of them is migratory. Their 

 food consists chiefly of the larger insects, mice, and sometimes 

 small birds. They take their name from the fact, that though 

 their beaks are very strong, yet their talons not being strong 

 enough to hold their prey, as with the Hawks, they hang it on 

 a thorn and thus tear it to pieces. 



Tlie Blue Shrike, or Greater Butcher Bird, is very rare, I never 

 saw but two. 



The Woodchat is about the size of the Song Thrush, in 

 colour brown, with a very bright orange spot on the top of the 

 head. It is so very rare that I never saw but one, and that 

 was at Gilston, on a Christmas eve ; it was perched on a thorn 

 by the side of the river, and allowed me to approach very near 

 to it. 



The Bed Shrike, or Lesser Butcher Bird. — This is somewhat 

 smaller, is migratory, arriving here about the middle of May. 

 The male is smaller than the female, and is a beautiful bird 

 for its size. At times it is very noisy. One, which a little boy 

 said he had found by itself, was once brought to me, and it was 

 easily brought up. I had a large wicker cage made for it and 

 it lived with me for nearly four years. All the anecdotes which 

 I could relate of this pleasing intelligent bird would fill a 

 small volume. It was so tame that it used frequently to be 

 allowed to go about the house, and when it pleased would 

 return to its cage of its own accord. It was very fond of mice, 

 and when one was given to it it would hang the mouse on the 

 hook provided for the purpose in the cage, and thus tear it to 

 pieces. Like Owls, it would cast up the indigestible parts of 

 its food ; it was as true as a dog could be in giving notice of the 

 approach of a stranger to the door, and knew my step when I 

 came home, expressing its joy by its voice and gesticulations. 

 It was ill for a week before it died, and when I saw it lying 

 dead, my wife telling me at the same instant " he is dead " — 

 "Down my cheek a tear unbidden stole." 



Birds of this species used to be frequent, but have become 

 very rare. It is now the middle of June, and I have not seen 

 one of them. This completes the list of all the rapacious birds 

 v^hich I have known in this district. — D. S. French. 



TAKING HONEY FROM FRAME HIVES. 



Please state in your next the proper time and manner of 

 taking honey from frame hives, with and without supers. — 

 Amateur. 



[Supers should be removed when filled, or in any case as 

 soon as the honey season is over, which of course varies in 

 different localities. They are taken from frame hives in the 

 usual way. If the stock hive can spare them the two side 

 combs may be removed in October, and the bees will probably 

 winter just as well without them, as they are very apt to be- 

 come mouldy if left in the hive. Great care and judgment 

 should, however, always be exercised in depriving a stock hive 

 of any portion of its stores.] 



out of the hivo by the bees. Of what is this proceeding in- 

 dicative ? — F., Westmoreland. 



[Such a wholesale expulsion of larvx indicates a suddon and 

 considerable fall of temperature within the hive.] 



Larv;e on Hive-board. — Yesterday morning I found the 

 entrance of one of my hives, containing my first swarm this 

 year, strewn with larva?, which had apparently been dragged 



DRIVING AND UNITING BEES — ATTACHING 

 COMBS TO BARS. 



I have two hives of last year, as well as a swarm, from which 

 I wish to take the honey and put tho bees into an empty bar 

 hive. What would bo the right time at which to perform the 

 requisite operations, and at what hour of the day ? Will you 

 also inform me how I am to manage, as I am quite inexperi- 

 enced ? Of course I shall have to feed tho bees throughout the 

 winter. I also thought of taking a bar of honey from another 

 hive, inserting it in the empty hive, and putting in an empty 

 one instead. Should this be done before the union is effected 

 or afterwards ? 



What is the best way of stupefying bees ? and is it injurious 

 to do so? likewise is it needful? I shall by feeding make up 

 the weight of both hives to about 20 lbs., exclusive of the weight 

 of the hive. That will be heavy enough, I suppose? The bees 

 in one of my hives have begun to kill the drones, but none of 

 the others. 



If I attach pieces of comb to the bars will the bees put in 

 them the food I give ? — G. J. 



g? [The operation may be performed as soon as the honey 

 season is over. The bees should be expelled by driving during 

 the forenoon of a fine day, as described in page 59 of the fifth 

 edition of " Bee-keeping for the Many," and we should drive 

 the inhabitants of two stocks into the same straw skep, leaving 

 the third to be added afterwards, or to be formed into a second 

 colony in conjunction with another condemned stock from 

 some neighbouring apiary. 



The bees having been expelled, the combs should be cut out, 

 and sufficient brood-comb will probably be found to admit 



of a piece being at- 

 tached to every bar, 

 • which may bo done 

 by means of slips 

 of wood and bind- 

 ing-wire, as repre- 

 sented in the an- 

 nexed sketch. The 

 hive being thus fur- 

 nished, the bees may 

 be inducted into it by being knocked out of the straw skep on 

 a cloth spread on a table or on the ground, and the hive placed 

 on them, supported on two sticks about an inch in diameter, 

 laid on the cloth some 8 or 9 inches apart. As soob as the 

 bees have ascended, the hive should be put in its place, and 

 the combs will be so rapidly fixed by them as to permit of the re- 

 moval of all artificial supports at the end of forty-eight hours. 

 This having been effected, copious feeding by means of an 

 inverted pickle-bottle filled regularly every evening (or morning 

 and evening, if you wish for more rapid progress), should com- 

 mence and be continued until the combs are extended and the 

 hive reaches the desired weight, which should not be less than 

 20 lbs. nett in October, and proportionally more if feeding be 

 concluded earlier in the autumn. We believe that stupefaction 

 injures bees. It is certainly wholly unnecessary. Any combs 

 which you attach to the bars will either be stored with food or 

 filled with eggs by the queen, whose breeding powers will be 

 much stimulated by the process of feeding.] 



BEE-KEEPING IN WARWICKSHIRE. 



I am glad to be able to .say that my Ligurian stock, recently 

 obtained from Mr. Woodbury, ha3 prospered. I succeeded in 

 getting an artificial swarm into a second frame hive, and as I 

 only took one brood-comb from the Ligurians they hardly felt 

 the loss. I used a very strong stock of black bees by removing, 

 as recommended by him. The swarm soon became strong, 

 and went to work vigorously, and I hope have raised them- 

 selves an Italian queen. I feared that the original Ligurians 

 would have thrown a natural swarm this month (July), they 

 were so strong, and I could not obtain another bar-and-frame 

 hive, so I was at a loss how to prevent them ; but I gave them 

 a large bell-glass which they are now filling, and they also 

 hang in a large cluster at the entrance. 



