78 THE BEE AS AN INSECT. [Ch. i. 



since. A lady who lived about a quarter of a mile from 

 our apiary sent to us to say that a swarm had gone in at 

 a hole over her stable, and to ask us to come and hive 

 them. On our going to do so her gardener told us that 

 he had seen three days previous two or three bees as if 

 reconnoitring ; next day several came, and about eleven 

 o'clock on the third day the whole swarm went in and 

 took up their position between the rafters under the 

 flooring. The difficulty was now to get at them. A car- 

 penter was sent for, the boards were taken up, a hive 

 was set over, with a brood comb placed in it to attract 

 them, and by dint of smoke and brushing with a feather, 

 the queen and her retinue were coaxed to ascend into 

 the hive. Some of the bees had already gone out to 

 forage, and there were many flying about that had not 

 settled ; so to secure these and make it easy for them, we 

 brought the hive out, and erected a sort of platform on a 

 pair of steps close to the hole, which we stopped. By 

 nighttime all the out-flying bees had joined the swarm 

 and were easily removed. 



We ought to mention that we recognised this swarm 

 from the appearance of the bees as those from the 

 Carniolan hive left under our care by the Rev. W. C. 

 Cotton (page 45), and as the queen with the swarm was 

 the original, we had to ask that we might be allowed 

 to take the bees back if we provided a swarm of the 

 ordinary English bees, which offer was accepted. Mr. 

 Cottqn eventually took this colony to his residence at 



