162 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
empty combs, which were to be exchanged for the 
full combs from the hives. I found myself sharing 
a row with the bee-master, and already infused with 
the glowing, static energy for which he was re- 
nowned. The process of stripping the hives varied 
little with each colony, but the bees themselves 
furnished variety enough and to spare. In working 
for comb-honey, the racks or sections are tiered up 
one above the other until as many as five stories 
may be built over a good stock. But where the 
honey is to be extracted from the comb another 
system is followed. There is then only one super- 
chamber, holding ten frames side by side, and these 
frames are removed separately as fast as the bees 
fill and seal them, their place being taken by the 
empty combs extracted the day before. 
The whole art of this work consists in disturbing 
the bees as little as possible. At ordinary times 
the roof of the hive is removed, the “‘ quilts’ which 
cover the comb-frames are then very gently peeled 
away, and the frames with their adhering bees are 
placed side by side in the clearing-box. The honey- 
chamber is then furnished with empty combs, and 
the coverings and roof replaced. On nine days out 
of ten this can be done without a veil or any 
subduing contrivance; and the bees which were 
shut up with the honey in the clearing-box will 
soon come out through the traps in the lid and fly 
back to their hives. But when time presses, and 
several hundred hives must be gone through in a 
few hours, a different system is adopted. Speed is 
now a main desideratum in the work, and on 
stripping-day at Warrilow resort is made to a 
contrivance seldom seen there at other times. This 
