144 HIVES. 



interior of the hive, from front to back, measures 

 eleven inches ; at the bottom only ten inches. The 

 upright pieces are, of course, kept in their positions 

 by having the top pieces tenoned into them, and are 

 further held together by a small cross bar, also ten- 

 oned into them about half an inch or an inch from 

 their lower ends, so as to allow a free passage for the 

 bees beneath. A series of these leaves being placed 

 in juxtaposition, secured at the front by shifting butt- 

 hinges, and at the back by hooks and eyes, and hav- 

 ing a glazed door, covered by a shutter at each end, 

 constitute what I think will be found to be an im- 

 proved modification of the hive of Huber. 



"A still further improvement was made in this 

 hive by Mr. Dunbar. When closing the leaves, (after 

 inspecting the interior) as those leaves were origi- 

 nally constructed, a few straggling bees were every 

 now and then crushed between their edges. To ob- 

 viate this, Mr. D. had those edges ploughed out 

 through their whole extent, to within the eighth of 

 an inch of their outsides, by which contrivance the 

 bees are very effectually protected from injury. 



" By attaching a piece of comb to the top bar of 

 each division, in the manner already described, the 

 bees will be induced to construct their combs with 

 such uniform regularity as to admit at any time of 

 the opening of the hives to inspect the interior, or to 

 remove an entire division when loaded with honey 

 comb, or (if required for the purpose of observation 

 or experiment) to take out an entire brood comb or 



