336 miner's AMERICAN 



which will suffice to show the general features of her 

 sagacity or instinctive powers. 



On a certain occasion, I attached a large sheet ot 

 comb in a hive, for the use of a family, that I was about 

 driving into it. Some two or three days after the bees 

 had been placed therein, I discovered that a lateral 

 brace had been constructed, from the side of the hive, 

 to the lower end of the comb. This brace was built, 

 in consequence of my getting the comb out of its per- 

 pendicular position several times, while turning over 

 the hive to examine the bees. The bees reasoned thus : 

 " He is turning our hive over every day, and our comb 

 bends, and leans over ; by and by, it will break off, so 

 we'll build a brace across to hold it !" On another oc- 

 casion, I laid a sheet of comb, filled with honey, on the 

 floor of the chamber of the hive, covering several of 

 the holes of communication with the family below. I 

 placed it there for the purpose of feeding the bees. A 

 few days thereafter, I was surprised to find this sheet 

 raised three-eighths of an inch, and supported on 

 four pillars built of wax ! This was done to give the 

 bees an opportunity to pass up through the holes with 

 facility. The honey had been taken away. But the 

 most astonishing performance that was ever placed on 

 record, as I believe, occurred as follows ; Having an 

 entrance to one of my hives, about two inches long, and 

 half an inch wide, that was covered with a thin strip of 

 wood, with a nail at one end, to hold it in its position, I 

 was accustomed to turn up the door or cover, perpen- 

 dicularly, as I passed the hive and found it closed. The 



