42 THE LORE OF THE HONEY-BEE 



argument and show of learning equally benighted 

 superstitions of their own. 



A little book published in 1656, and called 

 "The Country Housewife's Garden," is interesting, 

 as it was probably written for cottagers by one 

 almost in the same humble walk of life, whereas 

 the bee-books generally of the sixteenth and seven- 

 teenth centuries were, for the most part, the work 

 of men of considerably higher station. 



This book, almost alone of its kind, harbours no 

 fine theories on bee-keeping, but keeps throughout 

 to rule-of-thumb methods. The writer, evidently 

 caring little for speculation as to the origin of 

 bees, but confining his remarks to practical honey- 

 getting, takes up the following wholesome position : 

 " Much discanting there is of, and about the 

 Master Bees, and of their degrees, order, and 

 Government : but the truth in this point is rather 

 imagined, than demonstrated. There are some 

 conjectures of it, viz., wee see in the combs diverse 

 greater houses than the rest, and we commonly 

 hear the night before they cast, sometimes one 

 Bee, sometimes two or more Bees, give a lowde 

 and severall sound from the rest, and sometimes 

 Bees of greater bodies than the common sort: 

 but what of all this ? I leane not on conjectures, 

 but love to set down that I know to be true, and 

 leave these things to them that love to divine." 

 The "greater houses" here mentioned were, no 

 doubt, the large cells in which the queens are bred. 



