LEAF HIVES. 



103 



afford stowage for a summer's work. Mr. DUN- 

 BAR, with his mirror hive, constructed somewhat 

 like Huber's, has been able to make some interest- 

 ing observations on the oeconomy of the bee. Vide 

 Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, vol. iii. The 

 distance of his glass doors from each other is one 

 inch and two thirds ; the height and width of the 

 hive, according to the plan in the Journal, about 

 a foot. Across the centre of the mirror hive Mr. 

 Dunbar introduced a light frame, which though 

 apparently dividing the hive into four compart- 

 ments, allowed the bees a free passage : they were 

 skreened from the light by a pair of folding shut- 

 ters on each side. 



Mr. Dunbar hived a small swarm in one of 

 these narrow boxes, in June 1819: the bees began 

 to build immediately, and he witnessed the whole 

 of theii proceedings, every bee being exposed to 

 his view. The narrowness of their limits con- 

 strained them, from the very commencement, to 

 work in divisions, so that four separate portions 

 of comb were begun and continued nearly at the 

 same time. 



