Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber Note

Text emphasis is denoted by _Italics_ and +Small Caps+.

THE

HONEY-BEE.

THE HONEY-BEE.

"What well appointed commonwealths! where each
Adds to the stock of happiness for all;
Wisdom's own forums! where professors teach
Eloquent lessons in their vaulted hall!
Galleries of art! and schools of industry!
Stores of rich fragrance! Orchestras of song!
What marvellous seats of hidden alchymy!
How oft when wandering far and erring long,
Man might learn truth and virtue from the BEE!"

+Bowring+.

THE

HONEY-BEE;

ITS

NATURAL HISTORY, PHYSIOLOGY
AND MANAGEMENT,

BY

EDWARD BEVAN, M.D.

"A bee amongst the flowers in spring, is one of the cheerfullest
objects that can be looked upon. Its life appears to be all
enjoyment: so busy and so pleased."

+Paley+.

LONDON: BALDWIN, CRADOCK AND JOY.

1827.

PRINTED BY RICHARD TAYLOR, SHOE-LANE, LONDON.

TO

THE REV. RICHARD WALOND,

RECTOR OF WESTON UNDER PENYARD AND TREASURER OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF HEREFORD.

_+Dear Sir+,_

_To whom can I with so much propriety dedicate the following sheets as to you, who, in the elegant retirement of private life, have occupied so many of your leisure hours in studying the œconomy and management of Bees, and to whom, by the aid and encouragement you have afforded me, is mainly to be attributed the commencement, progress, and completion of the work?_

_I know of no one; and have therefore to request that you will allow me to offer you this public testimony of my gratitude and respect; and believe me to be_

_Your faithful and obliged friend,_

_EDWARD BEVAN._

Woodland Cottage,
April 5th, 1827.

ADVERTISEMENT.

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+The+ work which is now submitted to the judgement of the public, in addition to other faults with which it will no doubt be justly chargeable, may be thought by many to be defective in arrangement; and if the author had aimed to produce a purely scientific work, he would consider such charge as being well founded: but in making a humble attempt to afford a popular view of the present state of apiarian knowledge, historical, physiological and practical, he conceived that he should most effectually attain his object by mingling the different departments together, particularly where the two former would serve to illustrate or explain the rationale of the latter. Moreover, his first intention was not to offer much more to the public than is contained in Part I. of the work; but the materials grew upon his hands, and consequently after that part was modelled, he was induced by the very great interest which was excited in his mind by the prosecution of his inquiries, to exceed the limits which bounded his original plan:--the result will be found in Part II. The subject would have admitted of still further extension; but to have increased the volume beyond its present size would have been to defeat one of the objects of the author, which was so to compress his matter as to place his book within the reach of as many as possible of those to whom he flatters himself it may prove practically useful. Should the public, however, require a second edition, and sufficing reasons urge him to place this series of bee-knowledge under distinct heads, he will endeavour to re-model it, as well as otherwise to improve it, by such alterations as ingenuous criticism may suggest.