206 COMB-MAKING. 



Subsequent on the brief mention, as above, of the materials 

 employed by bee architects, should follow, properly, a de- 

 scription of the way in which they are accustomed to work them 

 up. We have never, ourselves, had an opportunity of fol- 

 lowing any of their wonderous operations as carried on within 

 the hive, which, by the way, would seem by no means an easy 

 matter, even when that hive is made of glass. A\e might 

 easily, however, copy, in an abbreviated form, some at least of 

 the relations given of their proceedings by Rcauiurr, the inde- 

 fatigable 1 Huber, and other bee historians; but these, shorn of 

 their detail, would proportionately lose in interest. 



Since, therefore, our account of bee workmanship caimol 

 (consistently with our limits) be long enough to entertain, wi- 

 Chilli make it so very short, as at all events not to weary. We 

 would wish it, on the contrary, to stimulate, to serve just as an 

 incitement to tin- abundant but not cloying sweets of Huberts 

 delightful pages. There will be found in detail, ample and 

 accurate, how that, as a first preparatory step towards the con- 

 struction of a comb, the bees (called Wax-workers) suspend 

 themselves, from the empty interior of the hive, in neck- 

 lace-like festoons, and thus remain motionless for hours 

 together, apparently to rest, but in reality to secrete the 

 wax which becomes visible on the rings of their bodies ;- 

 how that, in step the second, the Bee foundress leaves the 

 group, clears herself a space, goes to work alone (hundreds of 

 spectators watching her proceedings), gathers from off her body, 



