A common straw hive, sufficiently deep to cover, drops over the super, keeping the window dark, and fitting close on to the stock hive. This cover hive may be made fast by driving in two skewers, one on each side, to keep the whole firm. Unless placed in a bee-house or under a shed, the outside should be painted; or a piece of oilcloth, or water-proof covering of any kind, shaped so as to shoot off the rain, will save the trouble of paint, and answer the purpose (see Chap. IV. § iii.). The mode of stocking this hive, and of taking the honey, will be clearly gathered from the directions under § v. below, and from the general instructions in the sections therein referred to. After two or three weeks the straw mat may be removed to give the bees access to the super. § IV. AN IMPROVED COTTAGER'S HIVE. [Illustration] This hive is very superior to the one described just above, as it possesses a Taylor's glass in lieu of a straw super, and an adapting-board and a window in the lower portion. Its principle is also exactly the same as that of the succeeding, which is simply a more elaborate development of this hive. Our illustration places the window over the entrance, being so drawn in order to exhibit back and front at one view, whereas in reality it is on the opposite side at the back, so as to allow of an inspection free from the liability of annoyance from the bees. For directions see the next section. [Illustration] § V. NEIGHBOURS' IMPROVED COTTAGE HIVE. Our improved cottage hive (shown page 113), is neatly made of straw bound with cane, and therefore very durable.[20] The lower hive is covered with a wooden top, having in it three holes, through which the bees convey their honey into three middle-sized bell glasses with ventilators, which, when filled, hold about six pounds each. There is a hoop at the bottom, another round the top of the lower hive; to this the wooden crown-board is fastened. These hoops are a great improvement, and are less liable to harbour insects than if straw alone were used. The floor-board, as its name implies, is a wooden board one inch and a quarter thick, with a projection of three or four inches under the entrance to form an alighting-place. This entrance is cut out of, or sunk in, the board. There are three windows in the lower hive, each closed with a shutter; these are very useful and interesting for inspecting the progress made. Across the centre window is a thermometer, enclosed at the sides by slips of glass. The window shutters, being of oak colour, add very much to the appearance. The upper hive, which is merely a cover for the glasses, is made like the lower; a hoop is worked into the straw, and is sufficiently large to allow the cover to drop over the crown-board, keeping the whole close, and preventing wet from drifting in. A zinc ventilator, ornamentally painted, forms the apex; this is useful in letting the confined hot air pass away in warm weather. The ventilator is opened by raising it. The