369 



BIBLIOGllAPHICAL NOTICES. 



The Iloaey-Bee : its Natural History, Physiology, and Management. 

 By Edward IJevan, M.D. Revised, enlarged, and illustrated by 

 William Augustus Munn, F.R.H.S. ifcc. Svo. London: Van 

 Voorst, 1870. 



Among the almost infinite series of Bee-books of which our literature 

 can boast, Dr. Bcvan's volume has always deservedly taken a high 

 place. But of late years the discoveries made in the natural history 

 of the bee, and the changes thereby induced in the system of 

 management adopted by enlightened apiarians, have thrown this 

 excellent manual rather out of date ; and Mr. Munn has therefore 

 performed a task for which he deserves the thanks of all bee-keepers 

 by taking up the subject from Bevan's stand-point, cancelling the 

 antiquated parts of the book, and working into it, for the most part, 

 so far as we can see, very conscientiously, the results of recent in- 

 vestigations into this most interesting department of practical ento- 

 mology. 



The first part of Mr. Munn's volume, occupying nearly ouQrhalf 

 of it, is exclusively dev(rted to the description of the management of 

 the beehive, and gives all necessary practical directions for the 

 establishment of an apiary. The author, like all enthusiasts upon 

 a single subject, has, of course, a pet plan of his own. This con- 

 sists of a peculiar form of hive, which he calls " the bar-and-frame 

 hive," and to which he ascribes great advantages, both with regard 

 to the management of the bees, and to the carrying on of observa- 

 tions for the purpose of completing those parts of our knowledge of 

 the habits and physiology of these interesting insects which still 

 present some degree of obscurity. The merits of this peculiar appa- 

 ratus, the structure of which is fully described and illustrated with 

 figures, we -syIII not venture to discuss ; to the uninitiated mind it 

 seems to be an admirable contrivance. 



In his second part Mr. Munn enters upon those questions which 

 are of interest to entomologists — the anatomy and physiology of the 

 insect, its senses and instincts, its mode of architecture, &c. ; but 

 here also we find several chapters devoted to matters connected with 

 pure apiarianism. The treatment of the natural history of the in- 

 sect is somewhat defective, owing to an evidently imperfect know- 

 ledge of entomology on the part of the author, and in many cases to 

 his scattering information upon particular points in the natural his- 

 tory of the bee through several cliapters of the book, which are 

 properly connected with matters treated of elsewhere. Some of his 

 opinions will, no doubt, be Avarmly disputed both by his brother 

 apiarians and by entomologists; Avhilst in other cases, as in his rejec- 

 tion of Siebold's theory of the parthenogenetic origin of the drones, 

 he will certainly meet with little favour from most entomologists, 

 whilst many bee-keepers will be inclined to support him ; but the 

 reader will find in these chapters a valual)le series of observed facts, 

 the importance of wbich is (piite independent of the conclusions drawn 

 from them, whether rightly or wrongly, by the author. With regard 



