242 THE APIARY. 



An apiary in the garden of every village clergyman 

 would afford the means of economising this unclaimed 

 bounty of Providence. 



An amusing, instance of the fondness of bears for 

 honey is rfelated by a Muscovite ambassador to Rome, in 

 the " Feminine Monarchie; written out of Experience by 

 Charles Butler. Printed in the Year 1609," — a quaint, 

 but sensible work : — 



" A neighbour of mine (saith he), in searching in the woods for 

 honey, slipped down into a great hollow tree, and there sunk into 

 a lake of honey up to the breast ; where — when he had stuck fast 

 two days, calling and crying out in vain for help, because nobody 

 in the meanwhile, came nigh that solitary place — at length, when 

 he was out of all hope of life, he was strangely delivered by the 

 means of a great bear, which, coming thither about the same 

 business that he did, and smelling ^the honey, stirred with his 

 striving, clambered up to the top of the tree, and then began to 

 lower himself down backwards into it. The man bethinking 

 himself, and knowing that the worst was but death — which in 

 that place he was sure of — beclipt the bear fast with both his 

 hands about the loins, and withal made an outcry as loud as he 

 could. The bear being thus suddenly affrighted, what with the 

 handling and what with the noise^ made-up again with all 

 speed possible. The man held, and the^bear pulled, until, with 

 main force, he had drawn him out of the mire ; and then being let 

 go, away he trots, more afeared'than hurt, leaving the smeared 

 swain in joyful fear." 



Bees may be very inexpensively and profitably kept 

 in the cottager's hive (see page 80), which will.be founcii 

 a very productive one. It is true that it has not the 



