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# A Book About Bees. |
_Their History, Habits, and Instituts;_ |
TOGETHER WITH |
_The First Principles of Modern_ |
_Bee-keeping_ |
FOR YOUNG REAL DEARS. |
BY |
REV. F. G. JENYNS, |
RECTOR OF KNEWORTH; Member of the Committee of the |
British Bee-keepers Association. |
With Introduction by the BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS. |
_Published at the Request, and under the Sanction, of the British Bee-keepers' Association._ |
LONDON: |
WELLS GARDNER, DARTON, & CO. |
2 PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS. |
1886. |
## Introduction. |
Stration Strelt, |
_December 6th, 1885._ |
Dear Mk. Jenius, |
I am much gratified by your kind wish to dedicate to me your valuable educational contribution on Bees and Bcc-kceping. |
This industry has made a rapid progress under the fostering care of the British Bee-keepers' Association, and the untiring zeal of its late esteemed Honorary Secretary, the Rev. H. R. Peel. Bees now rank as fellow-workers in the objects of the Royal Agricultural Society; and, through the formation of the British Honey Company, they are linked with those industrial and commercial projects, which seek to promote the food supply of the people at large, and to render it plentiful and wholesome. |
In this book you point out very justly that Bees and Bee-keeping can be made subservient to an educational purpose, and also possess an interest under this aspect of no small value. |
Religious instruction, with certain other definite subjects, such as Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, History, and Geography, must form the foundation of all teaching in schools, but whilst these must be equally taught in all, there are always specific subjects to be added ; and it will probably be found advisable to adapt these, more frequently than is done at present, to the circumstances of the locality in which the schools are situated ; so that information should be given in agricultural, manufacturing, and inland districts, somewhat differing to that given at the sea-board and in towns. |
Your lessons on Bees are admirably calculated to point out how such information can be given, without adding any additional pressure to the already high - pressure system of education in vogue at the present time ; and to direct attention to the means of conveying instruction to children in matters which would naturally enter largely into their occupations on leaving school. |
**I** trust your interesting little book may be a pioneer in this direction, and give an impulse to Reading lessons calculated to give to children information of an accurate and interesting kind, bearing, in some measure, on their daily life, and strengthening their powers of observation on things familiar to their eyes and hands, yet with which they are, through lack of observation, imperfectly acquainted. |
May your Bee lessons have yet a wider mission! May they promote Manuals which will lead the mind to the Creator, whether they treat of His wonders in nature, or of those wonders in.art and in those handicrafts, which He has given to man the marvellous power to exercise! May our children by such means be led to appreciate the order and variety impressed throughout His Creation; and so not only learn to labour usefully, but to derive that peaceable pleasure which instruction such as this affords, to sweeten and lighten the occupations of daily life. |
In conclusion, wishing all success to your effort, I would end with the sweet words of a shrewd observer, as well as a single-hearted Christian, and say to the Children 'Familie' who may con your Bee lessons,-- |
\({}^{\dagger}\)First Peace and Silence all disputes controll, |
Then Order plaies the soul; |
And giving all things their set forms and houres, |
Makes of wilde woods sweet walks and bowres. |
Herbert. |
I am, |
Yours sincerely, |
BURDETT-COUTTS. |
## Chapter 4 Methods Preference |
In writing the following pages I have had no wish whatever to add another to the many existing 'Guides' to the management of Bees ; neither have **I** attempted in any way to produce a scientific treatise. I have simply endeavoured to write an introduction to the subject suitable to young readers ; and, while impressing the importance of habits of observation, have sought to unfold to them one little page of the vast Book of Nature ; and, by showing some of the simplest of the many wonders of beclife, to give them that interest in the subject which may lead them to desire to know more, and, afterwards, to take up Bee-keeping for themselves, with that knowledge which, while it adds tenfold to the interest, is more or less absolutely necessary to make it profitable. |
But, while the book is thus in great measure introductory, and is primarily intended for the young, it is hoped that it may not be altogether uninteresting to those of riper years, and may furnish them with some inducement to proceed to the investigation of the science of the subject, and to Bee-keeping in its most modern and advanced methods. |
Its preparation was undertaken at the request of the Committee of the British Bee-keepers' Association, who felt that, in their efforts to promote intelligent Bee-keeping as a national industry, the young should not be neglected, and that there ought to be a book suitable for use--where found practicable--as a Reading-book in Schools ; or, at all events, one likely to find its way into the hands of those young people of all classes, who soon will be old enough to become bee-keepers. |
I have with pleasure, and gratefully, to record the assistance I have received in its preparation from my friends the Rev. G. Raynor and the Rev. J. Lingen Seager--the well-known bee-keepers--who have most kindly supervised my work. I am also much indebted to Mr. Cowan, Chairman of the British Bee-keepers' Association, for much kindness and very valuable advice. I have also to thank the Association, Mr. Cowan, Sir J. Lubbock, Mr. Neighbour, Mr. Baldwin, and Mr. Walton, for the use of illustrations belonging to them. My especial thanks are also due to Mr. W. B. Carr and Mr. Charles Jenyns for many original illustrations. |
F. G. J. |
_Knebworld Recry, Dec._ 188;List of illustrations. |
## Appendix A Boot Bess. |
For young readers. |
## Chapter I |
habits of observation. |
If we travel through England we find most varied scenery ; some of it beautiful with mountains, valleys, woods, and water ; and some of it flat, bare, and wild. But, whatever the character of the country, we may always find in the works of Nature much that is indeed very beautiful and wonderful, and much to make us full of good thoughts. We learn of the great Creator by all that we see of His works and creatures. |
'There is a Book, who runs may read, |
Which heavenly truth imparts, |
And all the love its scholars need, |
Pure eyes and Christian hearts. |
'The works of God above, below, |
Within us and around, |
Are pages in that Book, to show |
How God Himself is found. |
'Thou, who hast given me eyes to see |
And love this sight so fair, |
'Give me a heart to find out' Thee, |
And read Thee everywhere.'Probably you have been to London, and doubtless you were astonished when first you saw its great sights. What did you like best? Perhaps you can hardly tell, for you saw so many things to interest you. You saw its long streets with the shops, and crowds of busy people ; and you saw its grand buildings--Westminster Abbey, and St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Houses of Parliament, and the Palace of the Queen ; and you saw the river Thames, and the bridges, and the great ships. And then, perhaps, you went to the Zoological Gardens and saw the elephants, and lions, and tigers, and the monkeys, and the birds ; and when you returned home you thought you had never before seen anything so wonderful. |
Yes ; but every day, and all around you in the country, are many things to be seen quite as beautiful and wonderful, if only you will open your eyes to look for them, and take trouble to learn the nature, history, and use of what you see. |
There is a story of one who is called'the Scotch Naturalist,'--but who was only a poor and very needy shoemaker,--who loved all he saw in Nature so much that, after a long and hard day's work at his trade, he used to go out for long walks of many miles into the fields and moors, and by the rivers, and stay out all night, lying perhaps in cold and wet, on purpose to observe the habits of some little animals, or to collect specimens of plants and insects to take home and preserve in the wonderful collection which he made. By night, as well as by day, he saw wonders in many things which other people thought little of, and great and fresh wonders continually. |
You cannot indeed go out at night as he did ; but, for instance, in any walk or excursion in the country you can gather a little flower ; and if you only knew how to pick that flower to pieces (and you may soon learn), and were taught the uses of its several parts, and how all fit together and grow together, and are necessary one to another, and provide the seed which grows into other plants of the same kind another year, you would indeed be surprised and interested. |
'Nature, enchanting Nature, in whose form |
And lineaments divine I trace a hand |
That errs not, and find raptures still renew'd, |
Is free to all men--universal prize. |
Strange that so fair a creature should yet want |
Admiers, and be destin'd to divide |
With meaner objects ev'n the few she finds!' |
Cowper. |
Some few years ago, at the village school in the parish of Hitcham, of which Professor Henslow, the well-known botanist, was the Rector, the elder children used once a - week to bring flowers and other things to school, and were taught to examine and preserve them ; then, at the end of the year, there used to be a show of all they had found and prepared, and prizes were given ; and thus the children's eyes became very sharp to search for and find little things that perhaps you would not think worth looking at. |
And here I would say that if you want to see the wonders of Nature, you must always remember that many of the greatest wonders are found in the smallest things. You must not think that a thing is wonderful simply because it is large. When you have seen an elephant you have probably been astonished at the size of its massive legs ; but really the leg of a little fly is quite as wonderful--just as marvellously made, and just as beautifully fitted for what it has to do. |
Very many, however, of these wonders of Nature are so minute that it is quite impossible to see them without the aid of a microscope. This, as probably you know, is a very beautiful instrument with several glasses, made and fixed in a particular way, so that when you look through them at any very small object, such as a fine hair, it is so magnified that it looks almost as large as a walking-stick ; or it will make the very small tongue of a bee appear as a long thing with many joints ; or it will show you the sting of a bee as large as and much more finely pointed than any needle.* Again, if you take a drop of water out of some ditch and put it under the microscope, you will see it full of little animals, like very odd-shaped fishes, swimming about and perhaps eating one another, although without the microscope the drop of water may appear quite clear and to have nothing in it at all. |
But all the same, do not think you must have a microscope to see a great many of the things of which I have been speaking. Only use your eyes as you walk about ; and when you see anything that attracts your attention, try and find out, and answer the questions, 'What is this?' and 'Why is this?' and 'What is its use?' You may always be sure that everything in Nature has some use and servessome wise, although often mysterious purpose of the Divine Maker. |
As examples of what I mean, here are two very common things for you to explain if you can. You have often seen a fly walking on the ceiling of the room, but perhaps you have never thought how it can do this with its head and body downwards. You could not do it, neither could the cat ; but the little fly does it easily. Now, how is this? Perhaps you know ; but if not, you must try and find out. Ask your teacher, or read some book, and you will learn how very wonderfully its little legs are made, with a vast number of'sucker hairs' clothing the pad of each foot, exactly fitting it for what it has to do. |
Again, as you walk along some country road you pick up a little round stone, quite smooth, without any sharp edges. Now, why is it smooth? how came it so? Can you tell? Do you know that once upon a time it was in the sea and was rubbed about by the great waves, one stone against another, till it became quite smooth? Ask the stone to tell you its wonderful story. I am sure you will like to hear it. |
Even a drop of water could tell you a marvellous tale of wonderful journeys and changes. Yes, listen thus to Nature's voice, and, as the great poet, Shakespeare, says, you will find-- |
'....' Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, |
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.' |
Probably you know the old story called 'Eyes and No Eyes'--about two boys who went out one day to spend a holiday, and, without knowing it, went the same way, across the same fields, over the same moor, by the same stream, near the same sandpit, and up the same hill. |
When they came home at evening, they were asked what they had seen. Dick, who came home first, said he had had a very dull, stupid walk, and had seen nothing of any consequence. Will, on the contrary, had seen, he said, so many odd and wonderful things that he had never more thoroughly enjoyed himself. He had seen the woodpecker at work, and the lapwing feigning lameness to draw him from her nest, and many other birds, and a snake, and some beautiful flowers, and had found some curious fossils, and had brought home his handker-chief quite full. And yet Dick had found nothing even to look at! The fact was, the one had walked about with his eyes shut, and the other had kept his wide open. |
And, however long we live in any place, it is the same--there is always much that is fresh to see. White, the naturalist of Selborne, says that'that district produces the greatest variety which is the most examined ;' and another naturalist observes, that'so rich is nature that a man born a thousand years hence will still find enough left for him to do and notice.' But'many waste a whole life without ever being once well awake in it, passing through the world like a heedless traveller, without making any reflections or observations, without any design or purpose beseeming a man.' |
## Chapter II Bees to be observed and treated with gentleness. |
Now this book is about bees, their homes and habits ; and very curious and wonderful all these things are-- |
'A picture wonderful, an insect race, |
Their customs, manners, nations, I describe.' |
Virgil. |
But we shall not see much of these wonders unless we keep our eyes open. Bees, indeed, must be observed, closely watched, read about, and thought of, before they can be understood. And the more we do this, the more wonderful and interesting we find them in all their ways and doings. |
To a certain extent, of course, they are familiar to us all. It is a pretty sight we think, to see the hives in a cottage garden in a snug corner, surrounded with sweet-smelling flowers, and, on sunny days, to hear the hum of the bees as we see them flying in and out of their homes, or as we see them darting from flower to flower--the 'busy bee.' |
But to many people they are of no further interest. Perhaps, indeed, they only think of bees as gathering honey, for which they do not care, or as having sharp stings, of which they are afraid. |
I hope, however, you will not thus think of them. I only wish you could come with me, and look at the inside of a hive, and see what it is like, andwhat goes on there; and I am sure you would be interested. |
As, however, you cannot do this, I must try and describe some of these things. And then, after a time I have no doubt, some friend will show you a hive, and its bees, or you will be able to look for yourself --take a hive full of bees in your hands, and thoroughly examine all that is inside, and touch the bees, and let them crawl over you; and all this without getting a single sting. |
This may sound wonderful, but it is not really so. In fact, there is no difficulty about it; only, first of all, you must understand something of their habits, and then, of course, take some precautions. Many people wear a veil, and it is well to do so; but that which is of chief importance is quietness--that we go to the hive gently, and without noise or bustle, and take great care not to jar the hives, or to breathe upon the bees. Carefully attending to these things, and then using, as you will be told at a future time, a little smoke, the bees will allow us to do almost anything we like. |
The best way, in short, is to treat them in some measure as pets; and even children may thus keep bees. I dare say some of you have pet animals at home--perhaps a kitten, or it may be a canary, or a goldfinch; and, if you deserve to have it, you treat it kindly, you feed it with the right food, you speak to it coaxingly, you guard it from its enemies. Well, in the same way almost, you may make pets of bees. They will not, indeed, come to you when you call, but they will, by some means, know that you are their friend, and will treat you as such. If you are kind to them, they will be kind to you. |
In fact, bees seldom sting except in self-defence, or in defence of their homes. If you see one on a flower hard at work, it will never fly at you. Bees thus occupied never think of staging, unless they are touched. And, even at their hives, they will but seldom attack us, unless by our own fault we make them angry, and they think their home and young are in danger. And can we find fault with them for this! Is it not most natural? Is it not praiseworthy? |
**I** do not say, however, that bees will never sting without just cause, for **I** must confess that some are very easily provoked. There are cross bees just as there are bad-tempered people, very soon put out, and very resentful. Generally speaking, however, the temper of our bees mainly depends upon our own good or bad management. |
Always remember then, that just as you get your companions to be good friends to you, or as you can get some pet animal to do almost anything you wish, if only you act with kindness, so bees also, must be treated in the same kind, gentle way, and then you will all be good friends together. Treat them, in short, as if you loved them ; treat them as God's creatures. |
egin{tabular}{l} 'He prayeth well, who loveth well \ Both man and bird and beast. \ He prayeth best, who loveth best \ All things both great and small ; \ For the dear God who loveth us, \ He made and loveth all.' \ \end{tabular} |
## Chapter 3 The work of the Bee-introductory. |
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