Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/361

 MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 347

On the 26th of July the weather of them were ftill alive, and fome was tolerably good, with a bright of them were beginning to fly funfliine ; the 27th cloudy; the away. I therefore refolved to fu- 28lh and 29th rainy: on the 30th, roigate the hive a fecond lime, and on examining the hive, I found, 1 gave its inhabitants liberty to ef- where it flood, a piece of a honey- cape while it was doing, for fear comb, which had fallen thither, ei- of being ftung on this occafion, I ther becaufe it had not been ftrong. took a half pint bottle, and having ly enough faftened to the top of the rolled fome foft paper about the hive, or becaufe too many bees had neck of it, thruft it into the open- lighted upon it at one time. This ing of the hive, taking care after- piece of a comb contained ^18 cells wards to Hop all gaps between the of the working bees ; fome were door and opening of the hive, and building, and others were nnilhed, the neck of the bottle, with more and there were alfo ten eggs (licking paper of the fame kind. As foon to the wax by one of their ends, as the fulphureous vapour began to All the forenoon of the -5 ! ft it was fill the hive, the bees in the greateft rainy, and about mid-day very hurry and confufion, and with the cloudy and windy, with fome rain. rr;oft dreadful buzzing, rufhed, to In the evening I ordered the hive the number of 1898, in a manner to be taken into my chamber, in all nt once into the bottle, which I order to examine what the bees had then removed to fubllitute another done in the fpace of thefe fix days. in its place ; and by repeating the

But as 1 was afraid of being operation in this manner, 1 at lall

ftung in this enterprize, I refolved fo thoroughly accompliftied my

to have all the bees killed before 1 purpofc, that not the leaft noife

went to handle or infpeft them ; could be heard in the hive, for this rea Ton I fumigated them Having then turned the hive up-

with a bundle of lighted matches fide down, I found the queen lying

rolled up in linen rags, to fuch a dead, in appearance, upon the

thicknefs, that it would jull fit in ground, and fome of the others

the upper opening of the hive, which had fallen upon the ground.

All my endeavours to kill thefe killed downright, and wet all over:

bees this way were hc-wever to no whilit fome other bees that had re-

purpofe; for after plying chem with mained in the upper part of the

this fume, from eight o'clock to hive were quite dry, and when put

eleven, lighting the matches from into the bottles flew about as briilcly

time CO time, as they went out, as if they had not received the leail

the bees continued alive; but they harm.

feemed grievoufly complaining of, I next poured fome water upon

andrefentedtheinjuryoffered them, the prifoners I had in the bottle;

vvitii the moft horrid noife and by this means they were all drowned

loudeft buzzings. in a very fhort time. I then made

The next morning all was quiet my examination, and found the

again, fo I removed the hive, at fwarm confifted of 5669 bees, and

the bottom of which I found fome was therefore a very good one,

hundreds of bees lying dead upon according to the judgment I had

the ground; but the greateli pan formed of it on its firft appear- ance,,