"ing time, the full length of the mouth may be obtained " by simply sliding the shutters to the end of the " alighting board ; while during the summer the fanners " will be enabled to pursue their labours in the shade. " The bottom board is so contrived that it can be " removed without disturbing the Bees, as it slides upon " two runners seen beneath it in Fig. 11. Blocks I and " K, Fig. 12, fitted in between these runners and bottom " board press it against the hive body and hold it in " position. The legs are fastened to the hive proper, so " that it carries its own stand. This plan is, in some " respects, convenient. During the winter the board " may be easily cleaned, and returned without risk of " disturbing the cluster ; but the fixed legs present to " the beginner some difficulty in introducing the swarm. " So that for the general community of Bec-keepers I " am not sure that the independent stand is not to be " preferred. Either form can be supplied as desired. " When the bottom board is slipped into position it is " stopped by a back piece, H, Fig. 12. The super cover, " the upper part of Fig. 11, or L, M, N, O, Fig. 12, is " hinged, and so contrived by the aid of a chain that " it can only open until its lines, horizontal when _in situ_, become perpendicular, and _vice versa_. The " advantage this supplies beyond the ordinary loose " case is considerable. It is sometimes inconvenient to " find suitable standing for the latter during manipulation, while this arrangement provides the Bee-master " with a table, often of great service when the hive is " open, upon which he can place his smoker, syrup, " knife, &c., during his operations. It, moreover, carries " within it a slate with an attached pencil, so that " immediate entry may be made of any noteworthy * "point. These jottings, compiled and studied, form no "'considerable means of increasing the propritor's "experience. The other points of the exterior demand "' little in the way of explanation. The legs splay, so " as to increase the base and give more secure standing, " while the roof, with its ample eaves, precludes the " possibility of the entrance of rain in any weather.
* "The walls of the hire are double, as may be seen " by reference to Fig. 12, and have between them a space " containing dead air, shown by the black broad lines. " The sides are kept at their proper relative distances " by blocks running above and below the air space. As " heat is conducted by air with extreme slowness, these " means prevent the escape of that generated by the " Bees during rigorous weather, while they also exclude " the ardour of the sun's rays during summer.
* "The dummy (\(h\), \(i\), Fig. 13), which usually hangs " next the hive side, and gives play to the combs by " its removal, is simply a double board the same size as " a frame, and has the grain of its respective thin halves " running in reverse directions to prevent warping or " breaking.
* "In order to give room for the ears of the frames, " the inner skin, front and back, is made an inch " shallower than the outer one. Standing 3-8ths of " an inch above the former are two strips of zinc (1 and " 2, Fig. 12), each about an inch wide and which serve " to carry the frames so that they cannot be propolised, " while they--_i.e._, the frames--can be slidden back-" wards and forwards with the greatest ease during " manipulation. The top bar of the frame is 3-8ths " thick, so that the space between the top bar and " the cover is \(\hat{\mbox{\small in}}\). The depth of the hive (D, \(\mbox{\small H}\),"Fig. 12) is \(8\%\)in., the width within between 1 and 2 "14in., the frames being exactly the same in size "as those known as Woodbury"s. The length (C, D, "Fig. 12) will vary with the number of frames used, "but 11 seems to give the hirc the correct capacity.