ORDER VI.—VEIN-WINGED INSECTS. 267 
ress of the bees, also, may be seen in the hives, honey-box- 
es, and feed-drawers, and each step of their development 
may be watcied. Mr. Davis, also, has a preparation with 
which to feed the bees in winter and spring, which costs 
about three cents a pound, and another kind of food, com- 
posed of seven different articles, which he uses after the 
blossoms disappear, and which costs from five to six cents a 
pound. This Platform Bee-hive, with a book giving full 
directions for making the hive, feeding and managing the 
bees, may be obtained for $10 of the inventor, S. Davis, 
Claremont, New Hampshire. 
According to the Report of a Committee of the New York 
Agricultural Society, at Albany, September 38, 1850, the 
profits of nine swarms of bees that were fed were $383 75; 
while in 1854 Mr. Davis, with his preparations, fed five 
swarms of bees, at a net profit of $75 a swarm; show- 
ing a great advantage either in the feeding or management 
of the bees. 
In order to observe the operations of the bees in a hive 
at least two sides of it must be of glass, covered with shut- 
ters which can be opened at pleasure. In this way it will 
be seen that the combs form perpendicular and parallel 
walls, with intermediate spaces, or streets, wide enough for 
two bees to pass one another. Each comb has cells on both 
sides, with here and there passages through the comb, which 
give the bees much shorter and speedier access from one side 
to the other. But this internal construction of the hive is 
subject to many irregularities, because the bees always ac- 
commodate themselves to circumstances. 
It was formerly thought that the cells were the habita- 
tions of the bees, because they are seen so constantly putting 
their heads into them; but this is not so; they do this either 
to fecundate the eggs, or to put honey in them, or else 
they are feeding the young ones. On account of their mul- 
titude, it is almost impossible to observe the operations of 
