PREFACE 



It will naturally be expected by every one who hears of the publi- 

 cation of a new work on bees — in the face of the many excellent 

 treatises already extant, some of which have opened to us many mar- 

 vels in the natural history, while others have facilitated the profitable 

 management, of these wonderful insects — 'either that the adventurous 

 author has something new to add to the common stock of already 

 acquired knowledge upon the subject, or that he has, at least, some 

 satisfactory reasons to allege for intruding himself upon public notice ; 

 seeing that to write a book, for which there is no vacant place on the 

 library shelf of the apiarian reader, must undoubtedly be considered 

 a work of no little folly and presumption. Eespecting, as he does, 

 this attitude of very natural expectation on the part of the public, the 

 author of the ensuing pages would submit the following observations 

 to the consideration of the candid reader. 



In the first place, there is no one but will readily allow that our 

 knowledge- of bees, scientific or practical, however it may* have in- 

 creased of late years, is still limited ; or that there is at least room for 

 improvement. If this admission be made, it at once follows that 

 there is room for a new work on the subject, however the aparian's 

 library may seem at first sight to be complete without it. 



The author hopes that so much of novelty will be found in his book 



