264 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



THESE ARE SELECTIONS FROM A LARGE NUM- 

 BER OF PHOTOMICROGRAPHS OF HONEY- 

 COMB IN ALL STAGES OF BUILDING, SHOW- 

 IXC, CRUDE CIRCLES OF WAX. NOT ONE 

 HEXAGON HAS YET BEEN FOUND. 



application of the wax to the comb is 

 completed in about four minutes, only 

 a very small portion of this interval be- 

 ing consumed in the work of extracting 

 the scale from its pocket and passing 

 it to the mouth, except in cases in which 

 scales appear to be removed with diffi- 

 culty. ***** 



"Scales which drop are likely to re- 

 main for a long time, and some may 

 even be carried out through the en- 

 trance with waste material. If, how- 

 ever, scales accidentally dislodged or 

 voluntarily removed fall on the comb 

 among the comb workers they are 

 often noticed by them, picked up, mas- 

 ticated, and built into the comb. If a 

 scale slips from the pollen combs or is 

 fumbled by the bee before being 

 grasped by the mandibles, it is seldom 

 recovered by the worker to which it 

 belongs unless it falls very near her or 

 she stumbles upon it accidentally." 



MY THESIS. 



In my positive assertions, it is but fair 

 to the general reader to state that many 

 expert beekeepers do not agree with me. 

 My claims have even brought ridicule from 

 some; others have advised that I investi- 

 gate further before publishing. This article 

 is the result of about six years of study, and 

 I publish it to bring out definite approval 

 or objections as guidance in further study. 

 I seek merely the truth, not victory of 

 claim or argument. — E. F. B. 



In making the comb, the honeybees 



never work in hexagons, but always in 



circles. Poets and philosophers have 



for ages expressed admiration for the 



"ALL SHE DOES IS TO MAKE A CYLINDER OF WAX AND A MIGHTY CRUDE OXE AT THAT." 



