160 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
was inquisitive to understand their method in ordering the bees ; 
which being our art so worthy the knowledge of the curious, I 
shall not think it beside the purpose, to relate what I saw, and 
was informed to that effect, by such as had skill in this 
place. 
“ The hives they keep their bees in, are made of willows, or 
osiers, fashioned like our common durt-baskets, wide at the top, 
and narrow at the bottom; and plaister’d with clay, or loam, 
within and without. They are set the wide end upwards, the 
tops being covered with broad flat sticks, are also plaistered with 
clay on the top; and to secure them from the weather, they 
cover them with a tuft of straw as we do. Along each of those 
sticks, the bees fasten their combs; so that a comb may be taken 
out whole, without the least bruising, and with the greatest ease 
imaginable. ‘To increase them in spring time, that is, in March 
or April, until the beginning of May, they divide them; first 
separating the sticks, on which the combs and bees’ are fastened, 
from one another with a knife: so taking out the first combs and 
bees together, on each side, they put them into another basket, 
in the same order as they were taken out, until they have 
equally divided them. After this, when they are both again 
- accommodated with sticks and plaister, they set the new basket 
in the place of the old one, and the old one in some new place. 
And all this they do in the middle of the day, at such time as 
the greatest part of the bees are abroad; who, at their coming 
home, without much difficulty, by this means divide themselves 
equally. This divice hinders them from swarming, and flying 
away. In August they take out their honey; which they do in 
the day-time also, while they are abroad; the bees being thereby, 
they say, disturbed least. At which time they take out the combs 
laden with honey, as before; that is, beginning at each out-side, 
and so taking away, until they have left only such a quantity of 
combs in the middle, as they judge will be sufficient to maintain 
the bees in winter; sweeping those bees, that are on the combs 
they take out, into the basket again, and again covering it with 
new sticks and plaister. This is done without smoak ; wherefore 
the antients call this honey—unsmoaken honey: and I believe the 
smoak of sulphur, which we use, takes away very much of the — 
fragrancy of the wax; and sure I am the honey can receive 
neither good taste, nor good smell from it.” 
