VUI PREFACE. 



53, supplying- their places with others, more accurate, deeming 

 it wise, if not, indeed, necessary, to rely upon my pen and 

 camera for the illustration of manipulations, appliances, etc., 

 which, usually prepared by a cheaper process, are not always 

 so satisfactorily presented. In these respects this Second 

 Edition will, be found to be a distinct improvement upoi? the 

 first. 



I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to the works of 

 numerous writers who have preceded me in such investigations, 

 from whose teaching I have learned much in a study covering 

 a period of nearly a quarter of a century. Amonff these must 

 be mentioned the well-known works of Mr. T. W. Cowan — 

 "The Honey Bee," and "The British Bee-keepers' Guide 

 Book," {now in its nineteenth edition), from the sixth edition 

 of which (in 1885) I learned my first lessons in beekeeping; 

 " Bees, and Beekeeping," by the late F. Cheshire, a classic, 

 now out of print, from which the publisher, Mr. Upcott Gill, 

 in addition to supplying the blocks enumerated in the Note, 

 page X., has generously permitted me to supply my readers 

 with much valuable information ; and, besides these, a host 

 of writers of whose works I have made an exhaustive study, 

 including Bagster, Bevan, Cotton, Dzierzon, De Galieu, Huber, 

 Huish, Hutchinson, Hunter. J., {Phil. Trans.), Hunter. John, 

 Hyatt, Keys, Kirby and Spence, Langstroth, Leukart, Lub- 

 bock, Miller, Milton, Miner, Neighbour, Nutt, Packard, Payne, 

 Pettigrew, Pettitt, Pratt, Reaumur, Reid, Richardson, Root, 

 Samuelson, Siebold, Simmins, Smith, Taylor, Thorley, 

 Warder, Wighton, Wildman, Wood, and many -others — some of 

 these long out of print, but not one of them from which a 

 diligent student may not learn something. In the prepara- 

 tion of Chapter XXXIII. I had the valuable assistance of Mr. 

 M. H. Read, Hon. Secretary, Irish Beekeepers' Association, 

 whose experience as a successful exhibitor and judge, was 

 unreservedly placed at my disposal. 



The alteration in the title of the Guide has been made 

 partly in acknowledgment of the fact that the sale of the book 

 hitherto has not been chiefly in this country, and partly in 

 deference to the wishes of the booksellers and of a large 

 number of practical beekeepers, who have assured me that the 

 former title led to the erroneous impression that the Guide 

 was suited only to beekeeping in Ireland. Many new titles 

 were suggested to me ■ I have adopted one which appears to 

 me to be not extravagant, for, whatever shortcomings the 

 Guide may disclose, I think that I may, without immodesty, 

 claim for it that it is essentially practical. 



I offer my most sincere thanks to all who have encouraged 

 me by their approval and patronage of a work the sale of 



