sudden motion of the hand required in the act of sprinkling irritates the bees, so that instead of making them our friends, they may become our foes. Mr. Langstroth recommends that a fine watering pot filled with sweetened water, be used for the purpose. Care must be taken not to drench the bees; only just sufficient should be given to run down the sides of the combs as well as sprinkling the top. As soon as the bees really understand that syrup is being given them, they feast upon it instead of angrily attacking the operator. Thus pacified, and with gentle treatment, but little difficulty will be found in proceeding with the work required. But the unskilled operator should on no account neglect to put on a bee-dress and gloves as described above. We would err on the side of caution, although there is an old saying that "a cat in gloves catches no mice," and the apiarian will find that his fingers are not so free to work as he would like, for gloves make them rather clumsy in drawing up the frames. The frames must now be gently prised from front to rear; this may be done with a small screw-driver or other stout instrument with a wedged end to go into the notches. The frames fit loosely so as to allow of a little movement from back to front; a lateral or side-way movement might kill the queen; or if not so fatal as that, might crush some of the bees and injure the brood combs, and must be carefully avoided. It, of course, depends upon what the operation is that has to be performed whether or no all the frames should be thus loosened. If it be for making artificial swarms, or for any purpose requiring an interview with her majesty, the whole of them must be loosened, because it often happens that all the combs have to be examined, sometimes twice over, before she can be discovered. Bees are very apt to build their combs in a slightly waving form, and in extracting one it will be needful to make room both for the comb and bees upon it to pass without scraping the next comb, and there will be a difficulty if the apiarian attempts to draw out one comb whilst the other frames are located in their appropriate notches. Let the operator gently proceed to lift say the third frame (allowing it to lodge on the little block that divides the notches) a little nearer to the fourth frame, and the second nearer the third, so as to admit of sufficient space to lift out the end one. Very carefully and slowly he should lift the frame by taking hold with thumb and finger of the projecting shoulders that rest in the notch; and he must not let it touch or scrape the next frame or the sides of the hive so as to crush or irritate any bees.