ADVANTAGES OF THE FRAME HIVE. 141 



the most humble way as boys, contriving to work out 

 their schemes, and to practise their art with the most 

 odd things possible : — 



'A burnt stick and a barn-door served Wilkie 

 (the great painter) in lieu of pencil and canvas ; 

 Bewick (artist and engraver) first practised drawing 

 on the cottage walls of his native village, which he 

 covered with his sketches in chalk ; and Benjamin 

 West (afterwards President of the Royal Academy) 

 made his first brushes out of the cat's tail. Ferguson 

 laid himself down in the fields at night in a blanket, 

 and made a map of the heavenly bodies by means of 

 a thread with small beads on it, stretched between 

 his eye and the stars. Franklin first robbed the 

 thunder-cloud of its lightning by means of a kite 

 made with two cross sticks and a silk handkerchief. 

 Watt made his first model of the condensing steam- 

 engine out of an old syringe. Gifford worked his 

 first problem in mathematics, when a cobbler's 

 apprentice, upon small scraps of leather which he 

 beat smooth for the purpose ; whilst Rittenhouse, the 

 astronomer, first calculated eclipses on his plough- 

 handle!'* 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



SOME ADVANTAGES OF THE FRAME-HIVE. 



We proceed now to think of some of the advantages 



of the frame-hive. Some of these are plain enough. 



For instance, you are able, as I have said before, at 



* Smiles. 



