170 HIVES. 



each of these sticks, the bees fasten their comhs ; so 

 that a comb may be taken out whole, and with the 

 greatest ease imaginable. To increase them in spring- 

 time, (that is, to make artificial swarms,) 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 comb 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 plaster, they set the 

 new basket in 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 them- 

 selves equally. In August, they take their honey, 

 which they do in the day time also, the bees being 

 thereby, say they, disturbed the least ; beginning at 

 the outside, 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 into the 

 basket again, and covering them anew with sticks 

 and plaster." Huish has adopted this hive with 

 some additional apparatus. (See Plate X., fig. 5.) 

 The cover, instead of being flat, as in the original 

 hive, has considerable convexity, i i order to facilitate 

 the flowing of the water, produced OY the \;ohdensed 

 vapour, towards the circumference, instead of its be- 

 ing allowed to drop on the oees. To prevent them 



