THE APIARY. 
36 
while on the north, and to the east and west of the 
north, should lie a windbrake, either of evergreen 
trees, some building, or a fence. Intruding animals 
should also be kept at bay, Mr. Root especially ostra- 
cising dogs and fowls. Of the latter he says : “ A flock 
of enterprising hens will make more disorder in a few 
hours in a well-kept apiary than the owner can restore 
in half a day.’^ He who would deny Mr. Root’s 
statement must be an ardent poultry fancier, and as 
blind as love can make him. Yet fowls may serve a 
purpose in an apiary, and at Rottingdean I remember 
seeing a troop of chickens whose function it was to 
kill earwigs, and wonderfully had they learnt their 
part. Whenever a hive was opened, they were in 
attendance, and caught up the disturbed insect in- 
truders as they dropped to the ground. Should a 
bee settle on the feathery jacket, or appear threatening, 
the beak had it and threw it down, and then gave it 
a second grip before it could recover sufflciently to 
take wing; so that the chicks, educated, no doubt, in 
the school of adversity, rarely received a sting. 
The possessor of even a few hives will And his 
comfort enhanced by a small operating-house, in which 
combs may be kept, section-boxes prepared, extrac- 
tion performed, &c. The utmost care will not prevent 
bees finding their way where there is so much to 
attract, every opening of the door, in certain seasons, 
admitting a few visitors ; while some operations 
necessitate the carrying of stray bees into the 
interior. The windows should, therefore, be so con- 
trived that the unwelcome guests may be removed 
or permitted to escape. For the first, the sashes may 
