72 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



It may be asked, if the comb was not built with all its diameters 

 equal, but afterwards accidentally disturbed. The comb is suspended 

 mostly from the uppermost portion, the lowermost hanging free until 

 considerable progress is made, when it is more or less attached by the 

 sides ; taking into consideration the material of it, and the weight, 

 when filled with honey, or covered with crowds of bees, it seems quite 

 probable that in a hot day the softened wax would be stretched by its 

 own weight, thus making the transverse diameter of the cells shorter, 

 and the others proportionally longer. To test this, cells from six dif- 

 ferent pieces of comb were measured in the direction of their three 

 diameters ; the result was, that the aggregate transverse diameters of 

 570 cells was 38.94 inches, and that of the other two was 38.84 and 

 38.90 inches respectively. The transverse diameter, the one liable to 

 be shortened, was absolutely a little the longest. 



A variation in the diameters does not necessarily bring with it an 

 inequality in the breadth of the sides, or a difference in the angles. If, 

 however, one of the sides is wider or narrower than the others, which 

 it often is, the angle which it makes with the adjoining ones must be 

 greater or less than 120°, the normal angle. In order to be able to 

 measure the sides as accurately as possible, cross sections were made 

 midway between the mouth and base of the cell, where they are thin- 

 nest and the angles sharpest. These sections were obtained by filling 

 the cells with plaster of Paris, and after this had hardened, cutting them 

 down to the required point. In this way, all distortion was prevented. 

 The following table gives the result of the measurement of the different 

 sides of a series of twelve cells. 



Smallest side in 72 cells, 0.070 inch. 

 Average " " " " 0.125 " 

 " " " 0.150 " 



Longest 



