Kirjahaku

Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present by John TimbsIt has been well observed that the structure of a house reveals much of the mode of life adopted by its inhabitants. The representations of the dwellings of the people of the less cultivated parts of Europe, contrasted with those of the more cultivated countries, should afford us the means of comparing their different degrees of civilization. In the same manner we may measure the growth of improvement in any one country by an attentive consideration of the structure and arrangement of the homes of the people at different periods. The aboriginal Britons are described as dwelling in slight cabins of reeds and wattles, and in some instances in caverns of the earth, many sets of which, arranged with some degree of symmetry, antiquaries have recognised but C sar tells us that the maritime tribes had buildings in the fashion of the Gauls-that is, of wood, of a circular figure, and thatched. Such towns as they had were clusters of huts erected on a cleared portion of the forest, which covered the greater part of the island and they were invariably surrounded by a rampart, constructed of felled trees strongly interlaced and wattled, and a deep fosse, which together formed a fortification. The site of the modern city of London, with the river Thames in front, the river Fleet on the west, and an almost inpenetrable forest in the rear, may be taken as a fair specimen of the locality usually selected for the residence of the British Chief That our ancestors lived in caves is attested by the existence of a group of these abodes near Penzance, the most remarkable of all ancient British Caves hitherto discovered in Cornwall, and thus described by Mr. J. Edwards, to the Royal Institution of that county: -"Half of a mile W.S.W. of Ca r Bran, and four and a half miles W. by S. of Penzance, there is, in the village of Chapel Euny, a cave, consisting for the most part of a deep trench, walled with stones, and roofed with huge slabs. It extends 30 feet from N.N.W. to S.S.E., and then branches eastward, and probably also to the S. or S.W. So far it accords with the description of an ordinary British cave.

"The Curiosities of Bees" is a vintage article on bee keeping, with sections on the queen bee, cell production, honey, and much more. This interesting and informative little volume offers the reader a broad introduction to the topic, exploring bee-society and natural history with handy tips and information that will be of utility to the bee keeper. Contents include: "The Commonwealth of Bees", "The Sting of the Bee", "A Strange Queen", "Enemies of Bees", "The Hum of Bees", "Do Bees use Soot?", "Bees and the Weather", "Bees, and Death, and Funerals", "Calls of Bees", "The Calling of the Queen Bee", etc. This volume will appeal to bee keepers new and old, and it would make for a handy addition to collections of allied literature. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on bee keeping.