On the Threshold of the Hive 
[7] 
The first impression of the novice 
before whom an observation-hive! is 
opened will be one of some disappoint- 
ment. He had been told that this little 
glass case contained an unparalleled activ- 
ity, an infinite number of wise laws, 
and a startling amalgam of mystery, ex- 
perience, genius, calculation, science, of 
various industries, of certitude and pre- 
science, of intelligent habits and curious 
feelings and virtues. All that he sees is 
a confused mass of little reddish groups, 
1 By observation-hive is meant a hive of glass, 
furnished with black curtains or shutters. The best 
kind have only one comb, thus permitting both faces 
to be studied. These hives can be placed ina draw- 
ing-room, library, etc., without inconvenience or dan- 
ger. The bees that inhabit the one I have in my 
study in Paris are able even in the stony desert of that 
great city, to find the wherewithal to nourish them- 
selves and to prosper. 
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