initiated b}^, and carried out with the 

 good will of the old queen?" The 

 prevalent opinion was, that the 

 queen did not leave the hive willing- 

 ly; one apiarist, indeed, had seen her 

 forcibly led out between two resolute 

 advisers. 



The London TeW/raph says that 

 the silver medal for "driving bees" 

 was awarded to Mr. Martin, of 

 West Wycombe, who succeeded in 

 emptying his hive and caging the 

 queen in five and three-quarter min- 

 utes, the bronze medal being taken 

 by a cottager named Thorn, of Bel- 

 dock, Herts, who drove his bees in 

 less time, but did not so readily 

 capture the queen. 



The Baroness Burdett-Coutts, graced 

 the competition with her presence, and 

 expressed her admiration of the skill 

 displayed. 



The judges gave the silver medal for 

 the best hive in the show to Mr. C. N. 

 Abbott, of Southall, whose hive was so 

 ingeniously arranged that it could be 

 contracted or expanded as the need of 

 the bees might require. The first prize 

 for a hive for observation purposes, was 

 secured by Mr. Brice AVilson, of New- 

 bury, whose exhibit was a well made 

 though somewhat expensive hive, both 

 folding and revolving, following in some 

 degree the principal devised by Huber. 



Among the hives manufactured ex- 

 pressly for cottagers, were several, 

 which were both serviceable and cheap. 

 Of the dozen competitors, the palm was 

 yielded to Mr. James Lee, of Bagshot. 

 The collection of bee-keepers' necessa- 

 ries included a honey extractor, which, 

 however, is much more largely used in 

 America than in England. The medal in 

 this class was adjudged to Mr. Stephen 

 Knight, of IsTewbury. An assortment 

 of microscopic slides, illustrating the 

 natural history of the hive bee, was 

 displayed by Mr. John Hunter, the well 

 known apiculturist, to whom a silver 

 medal was awarded. 



Live bees formed not the least inter- 

 esting part of the show, and the first 

 prize for foreigners was carried off by 



some Italians, owned by Mr. Baldwin, 

 of the Alexandra palace; Messrs. 

 Neighbour & Sons, securing the second 

 with their Hungarians. Next to these 

 was a nicely arranged stand of the 

 flowers from which the bees draw the 

 largest harvest. Cottagers came well 

 to the front in the honey classes, two of 

 the highest awards being secured by 

 men in this sphere of life in the com- 

 petition with their richer neighbors. 

 Noticeable as a curiosity was a quantity 

 of "chimney-pot" honey, the designa- 

 tion being applied on account of the 

 honey having been taken from a hive 

 in a room sixty feet from the ground in 

 the Strand, the bees being assisted dur- 

 ing the breeding season by artificial 

 means. 



Battle between Bees and Geese. 



The " Bohemian " relates the fol- 

 lowing: In the village of M , 



within a small rear garden, a number 

 of weeks since, there lived quietly 

 and peaceablj'' together the inhabi- 

 tants of a bee-hive and a family of 

 geese ; the latter consisting of a 

 gander, 6 geese, and 28 young but 

 full-grown ones of both sexes. The 

 bees permitted this flock to cackle 

 ad libitum^ and they in return placed 

 no obstacles in the way of the indus- 

 trious tribe of bees. 



But on a certain afternoon it 

 seems that a pert young goose, with 

 its bill, came too close to the hive, 

 and perhaps had, in its wantonness, 

 picked at it, which obtrusiveness, 

 however, had been objected to by 

 some returning worker, who in 

 return gave \i a sting. The flapping 

 of the wings of the wounded goose 

 gave the signal for a general fight 

 In great swarms the bees came upon 

 the defenseless flock, to whom the 

 way of escape was shut off by the 

 fastened gate. 



The uproar at last attracted the 

 attention of the people within doors, 

 and not until after having received 

 numerousstings was the man servant 

 enabled to open the gate. Already 



