﻿146 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G- 
  Desborough 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  ance 
  from 
  such 
  a 
  system 
  to 
  aid 
  us 
  in 
  our 
  present 
  research, 
  but 
  

   still 
  an 
  occasional 
  inference 
  may 
  be 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  little 
  that 
  may 
  

   be 
  thence 
  gathered, 
  as 
  will 
  hereafter 
  be 
  seen. 
  

  

  When, 
  however, 
  bee 
  keeping 
  is 
  treated 
  as 
  a 
  science, 
  and 
  the 
  

   beekeeper's 
  study 
  is 
  to 
  adopt 
  every 
  expedient 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  comfort 
  

   and 
  well-doing 
  of 
  his 
  bees, 
  — 
  when 
  his 
  hives 
  are 
  constructed 
  in 
  such 
  

   a 
  mode, 
  that 
  daily 
  and 
  hourly 
  observations 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  

   proceedings 
  of 
  his 
  bees, 
  — 
  when 
  he 
  can 
  proudly 
  say, 
  by 
  care 
  and 
  

   management 
  he 
  has 
  preserved 
  his 
  stocks 
  in 
  health 
  and 
  prosperity 
  

   for 
  years, 
  instead 
  of 
  killing 
  them 
  ruthlessly 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  season 
  of 
  

   their 
  existence, 
  — 
  any 
  steps 
  tending 
  to 
  assist 
  Iiim 
  in 
  so 
  laudable 
  an 
  

   object, 
  or 
  to 
  encourage 
  him 
  to 
  persevere, 
  deserve 
  to 
  be 
  hailed 
  

   with 
  delight 
  ; 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  score 
  of 
  profit 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  easily 
  shown 
  

   that 
  the 
  old 
  system 
  of 
  taking 
  honey 
  by 
  killing 
  the 
  bees 
  ought 
  at 
  

   once 
  to 
  be 
  abolished, 
  but 
  such 
  a 
  course 
  of 
  argument 
  would 
  be 
  

   foreign 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  essay. 
  

  

  Apart 
  from 
  any 
  consideration 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  bee 
  manage- 
  

   ment, 
  the 
  hives 
  in 
  use 
  under 
  a 
  scientific 
  mode 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  observation 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  to 
  

   them 
  we 
  must 
  look 
  for 
  help 
  in 
  treating 
  our 
  present 
  subject; 
  and 
  

   when 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  observations 
  has 
  been 
  kept, 
  and 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   comparatively 
  unimportant 
  notes 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  one 
  focus, 
  the 
  

   information 
  contained 
  therein 
  will 
  assume 
  so 
  diflTerent 
  a 
  shape, 
  

   that 
  even 
  the 
  observer 
  himself 
  will 
  scarcely 
  be 
  persuaded 
  that 
  his 
  

   conclusions 
  are 
  faithfully 
  drawn, 
  so 
  valueless 
  did 
  the 
  notes 
  appear 
  

   in 
  their 
  crude 
  state. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  of 
  this 
  essay 
  has 
  kept 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  memoranda 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  stocks 
  of 
  bees 
  in 
  his 
  apiary, 
  more 
  parti- 
  

   cularly 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  swarming, 
  since 
  tlie 
  year 
  1839; 
  and 
  although 
  

   such 
  notes 
  were 
  originally 
  commenced 
  as 
  an 
  amusement, 
  it 
  was 
  

   soon 
  perceived 
  that 
  for 
  practical 
  purposes 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  great 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  : 
  a 
  careful 
  digest 
  of 
  such 
  memoranda, 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  

   somewhat 
  of 
  a 
  pedigree 
  of 
  his 
  stocks, 
  is 
  the 
  groundwork 
  of 
  this 
  

   essay. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  hardly 
  be 
  necessary 
  after 
  the 
  above 
  remarks 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  

   he 
  has 
  pursued 
  the 
  humane 
  system 
  of 
  bee 
  management, 
  that 
  his 
  

   hives 
  are 
  therefore 
  constructed 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  afford 
  sufficient 
  means 
  of 
  

   observation 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  digression 
  from 
  the 
  subject 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  saying 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  on 
  a 
  hive, 
  which 
  may 
  truly 
  be 
  called 
  

   "An 
  Observatory 
  Hive," 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  deemed 
  out 
  of 
  place. 
  This 
  

   hive 
  is 
  so 
  constructed 
  that 
  each 
  cell 
  is 
  distinctly 
  visible 
  to 
  the 
  

   bottom. 
  The 
  hive 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  principle 
  unicomb; 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  by 
  

  

  