656 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



united in one, which appears to have given the 

 tack more elasticity. 



** The ribs are remarkably slender and short, in 

 proportion to the size of ihe animal, and have 

 had a great deal of cartilage aitached (o them : 

 the six first are the strongest, and all have ihe 

 smgular peculiarity of standing half-reversed in 

 the body ; that is, the edge ol the rib bends in 

 towards the intestineg, and ihe ojiposiie edge out- 

 wards, showing gr«al lateral action. 



" Comparison of the leviathan with the masto- 

 don. — The most striking diHcrence between the 

 leviathan and the mastodon, are, Isi, the levia- 

 than had no trunk, therelisre could not be classed 

 under the probossa genus ; 2d, its toes were 

 armed wiih claws or nails, and this circuinstdnce 

 prevents its being clacsed with the hooled animals, 

 lo which class the mastodon belongs ; 3ci, the 

 leviathan has 24 dorsal verlebra- and 48 rib?:, to- 

 gether with two collarbones or clavicles; whereas,, 

 the mastodon has 19 dorsal vert( bru.' and 38 ribs^^, 

 and no clavicles; 4iii, ilie scapula or sliuulder- 

 hlade is mulenally shuiler in the Icvialliaii iliaii 

 in the mastodon, also the ribs are much smaller; 

 .Sih, the dental system at the first view somewhat 

 resembles that of the mastodon, but upon a close 

 ♦examination, the observer will perceive that the 

 teeth of the leviathan are much smaller in pro- 

 jiortion to the maxillary bones than those of the 

 mastodon, and also better calculated for masticat- 

 ing softer substances. 



•* Supposed habits and nature of the animal. 

 The animal has been, without doubt, an inhabi- 

 tant of water courses, such as large rivers and 

 Jakes, which is proven by the Idrmation of the 

 hones : Isi, his liset were webbed ; 2d, all Ids 

 bones were solid and without marrow, as the 

 aquatic animals of the present day ; 3lI, his ribs 

 were too small and slender to resist the many 

 pressures and bruises they would be subject toon 

 Jand ; 4th, his legs are short and thick ; 5th, his 

 tail is flat and broad ; 6th, and last, his tusks are 

 so situated in the head that it would be utterly 

 impossible lor him to exist in a timbered country. 

 His food consisted as much of vegetables as flesh, 

 although he undoubtedly consumed a great abun- 

 dance of the latter, and was capable of feeding 

 himself with the fore-loot, after the manner of the 

 beaver or otter, and possessed also, like the hippo- 

 potamus, the faculty of walking on the bottom of 

 waters, and rose occasionally to take air. 



" The singular position of the tusks has been 

 very wisely adapted by the Creator for the piutec- 

 tion of the body from the many injuries lo which 

 it would be exposed while swimming or walking 

 under the water: and in addition to this, it ap- 

 pears ihat the animal has been covered with the 

 same armor as the alligator, or perhaps the 

 megatherium." 



HIVING BEES. 



From tlie Fanners' Cabinet. 



I am glad that due attention is likely to be paid 

 to a very profitable and pleasing branch of hus- 

 bandry — I mean bee-keeping, and cannot but 

 approve many valuable articles that have lately 

 appeared in the Cabinet on that subject — the letter 

 from a bee-keeper in No. 2, for September, in 



particular. But is it not strange that so httle has 

 been said by any of tliem on the beet mode of 

 securing ihe swarms on leaving the hive, as also 

 on offering them lacilitiee of colonization by which 

 they might be induced to " pitch their tenia" near- 

 er home, and thus prevent the loss of hundreds 

 of the finest and strongest of ihe swarms, which 

 are continually escaping into the woods, or enrich- 

 ing our distant neighbors with iheir treasures'? 

 At best, all the diiections which I have seen or 

 heard oij were most clumsy and uncertain, until I 

 happened to meet in an eastern paper with the IijI- 

 lowing, which are deserving record in your pages, 

 and will, I have no doubt, be practised the next 

 season wiih profit to many of your readers. 



The author says: " As the season for swarm- 

 ing approaches i cut an evergreen, such as fir or 

 spruce, above 6 or 8 feet high, and trim otl all the 

 branches on one side close to the tree, so that it 

 may be laid flat on the ground ; the lower end, or 

 but, is shari eiitd like a stake, and set in a hole 

 niiidt! by an iron bar in the ground about lU or 16 

 led in Ironl of the hives. Swarms will very sel- 

 dom seek any other resting-place, when a bush 

 like this is at hand. When a avvarni leaves the 

 hive I say nothing, but stand and look on, until 

 they become siill and quiet en ihe bush. 1 then 

 carefully raise the bush from the hole, and lay it 

 flat on the ground, and place the hive over them. 

 If the limbs on ihe upper side inierlere, I press 

 ihe hive down and lay a stone or some heavy sub- 

 stance on to keep it in its proper place, till the 

 swarm takes possession, which is generally in 

 ten or fifteen minutes. In this way I have never 

 lost a swarm, and have frequently hived a swarm 

 and removed them to the bee-house among the 

 old hives in one hour from the time of their leav- 

 ing the hive. 



" Another way is as simple, and, as far as I 

 have tried it, equally sure. 1 take a board wide • 

 enough to set a hive on, and 2 or 3 leet long ; bore 

 a hole in the centre, and drive in a pin, 1 or 2 in- 

 inches in diameter, and 8 or 10 inches long. I then 

 take two small cords, and fasten the end of each 

 to the corners of the board, so that they form a 

 loop at each end of the board, about 2 or 3 feet 

 long. This board, thus prepared, I suspend from 

 two stakes in front of the hives, with the pin 

 pointing downwards; taking care that the slakes 

 slope towards each other, so that the board may 

 not touch at the end. Around this pin the bees 

 will cluster, and when they get still, unhook the 

 cord from the slakes, turn the board over carefully, 

 lay it on the ground and set the hive over it. In 

 ihis way much ume and trouble may be saved ; 

 lor there is no need of watching for swarms — only 

 provide such resting places, and there you will 

 find them. I have left a swarm suspended under 

 the board, as last mentioned, through the day, and 

 found them safe in the evening, and hived them 

 after the other labor of the day was past. I think, 

 on the whole, this method the best, as they seem 

 more contented under cover of the board than 

 when more exposed, and not so likely to take 

 wing before they are hived." B- 



