Phillips. — On tlie Comb of the Hive-bee. 479 



I have now to thank Mr. Maskell, Captain Broun, and 

 Professors Forel and Emery for naming and describing the 

 new species of Coccids, Coleoptera, and ants submitted to 

 them respectively. To Mr. H. Suter, who took much interest 

 and trouble in forwarding the ants to Europe, my thanks are 

 also due. 



Abt. XLV. — 0)1 the Construction of the Comb of the 



Hive-bee. 



By Coleman Phillips. 



[^Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, Mh September, 



1895.] 



During the past autumn, whilst shifting my bee-boxes, I 

 disturbed a couple of hives to such an extent that the bees 

 deserted them. These boxes were really double hives (two 

 boxes to each hive), with a hole, 3^in. square, leading from 

 the lower to the upper box. I had consequently a good 

 opportunity of carefully examining the deserted comb in the 

 lower boxes, which I will name A and B. To my surprise I 

 noticed that the square hole in the top of box A had been 

 bridged across by two walls of comb, whilst in box B a comb- 

 bridge leading straight across the hole had only just been 

 begun. This was all the comb in box B. 



Box A, it will be noticed, is almost full of comb, lines of it 

 stretching from sid.e to side, and two of these across the square 

 hole, proving that, in both instances, the bees, having ap- 

 parently satisfied themselves of the dimensions of the holes, 

 ignored them completely, and relied upon the bridging-powers 

 of their comb-construction to span the distances. The fact 

 that in box B the new line of comb (which, when complete, 

 would stretch from side to side of the box) had been begun 

 directly at the aperture, and the bridge of comb at once thrown 

 straight across, almost reaching to the other side, shows how 

 thoroughly the bees recognised the obstacle, seeing that they 

 had the whole of the box at their disposal in which to start 

 operations. 



Darwin makes no reference to these honeycomb bridges in 

 his " Origin of Species." All that great writer does is to 

 strive his utmost to show that the comb of the hive-bee arose 

 in accordance with his great theory of natural selection. He 

 enters very fully into the cell-making instinct of the hive-bee. 

 He cites other authorities to support his theory, which, if 

 wrong in this instance, is certainly wrong throughout liis 



