DESCRIPTION OF THE HIVE OF MARTIN. 265 



experienced by them, from the scorching heat of a summer 

 day, to the rigorous cold of a wintry one. . In one sense, 

 however, it possesses an advantage superior to any other 

 hive, which is, the extreme facility that it grants of in- 

 specting the operations of the bees under every possible 

 circumstance ; and consequently, we are entitled to draw 

 the conclusion, that the Messrs. Martin would have been able, 

 on account of the peculiar construction of their hive, to 

 have verified some, if not all, of the astounding discoveries 

 of Huber. Being in regular correspondence with Mr. A. 

 Martin, we suggested to him the benefit which he would 

 confer upon naturalists in general, and particularly the 

 entomologists, if he would devote his skill and time to the 

 verification of the discoveries of Huber, and particularly 

 to the marvellous events, which Huber has witnessed on 

 the birth of a queen. Mr. A. Martin, like ourselves, 

 is a confirmed, and, if possible, a more inveterate infidel 

 regarding the much vaunted discoveries of Huber ; but 

 nevertheless, truth being our sole object, the whole series 

 of Huber's experiments were gone through, and we have 

 the authority of Mr. A. Martin for the assertion, that 

 in not one single instance did he verify any of the observa- 

 tions of Huber ; in fact, he styles them, les supercheries 

 d'une tete insensee, which we will translate " the subtle frauds 

 of a deranged brain." 



The construction of the hive is in itself very simple, 

 being divided into four moveable parts, placed one above 

 the other. Each of these parts is styled a case, and each 

 case is formed of two shelves of well seasoned wood, three 

 lines thick and eleven superficial inches square. Every 

 shelf has in the middle a hole, sixteen lines square. These 

 two shelves are united by four wooden pillars, five lines 

 in diameter, and three inches eight lines high, fixed 

 between the two shelves at equal distances, and at thirty- 

 two lines from the edges of each point ; each end of 



