260 THE HONE Y-BEE. 



range of reason or imagination, ill luck is thought 

 to be attracted by bargains of this sort. 



A correspondent of the Journal of Horticulture 

 thus narrates the following incidents : " Last August 

 I purchased a swarm, for which I paid ten shillings. 

 So far as I could judge from my limited experience 

 with bees, for the first fortnight they appeared to be 

 doing well, but one night, about eight o'clock, I 

 found they had deserted the hive, and were on the 

 ground in a cluster the size of a large plate. I 

 gently lifted the hive and placed it over the cluster. 

 About ten o'clock I found most of the bees had gone 

 up into the hive, which I then returned to its stand. 

 For a short time the bees appeared to work, but one 

 day, thinking they appeared very quiet, I lifted the 

 hive, and discovered that it was quite empty of bees. 

 There were three nice pieces of empty comb. I 

 think the bees were teased by wasps. Our parish- 

 ioners tell me I did two things wrong, and that in 

 consequence my bees could not thrive. One was to 

 give money for them, which is always unlucky ; the 

 other was, that I did not have them at the right 

 time of the year. I ought to have had them on 

 Old Christmas Day. Is there anything in these 

 ideas ? " 



The correspondent signed herself " A Clergyman's 

 Wife," and the explanation of her want of success was 

 not far to seek. She had been taken in by the 

 vendor of her bees. A poor swarm had been palmed 

 off upon her, and one so manifestly weak, and having, 

 so late in the comb-making and honey-gathering 

 time as August, only three small combs, was doomed 

 to perish with cold and starvation. The poor insects, 



