580 INSTINCT OF INSECTS. 



tion of being every where at hand, and at all events would be preferable 

 to our harley-corns. Several ranges of male cells, sometimes from thirty 

 to forty, are usually found in each comb, generally situated about the 

 middle. Now as these cells are not isolated, but form a part of the entire 

 comb, corresponding on its two faces — by what art is it that the bees 

 unite hexagonal cells of a small with others of a larger diameter, without 

 leaving any void spaces, and without destroying the uniformity and 

 regularity of the comb ? This problem would puzzle an ordinary artist, 

 but is easily solved by the resources of the instinct of our little workmen. 



When they are desirous of constructing the cells of males below those 

 of workers, they form several ranges of intermediate or transition cells, 

 of which the diameter augments progressively, until they have reached 

 that range where the male cells commence ; and in the same manner, 

 when they wish to revert to the modelling of the cells of workers, they 

 pass by a gradually decreasing gradation to the ordinary diameter of 

 the cells of this class. We commonly meet with three or four ranges 

 of intermediate cells before coming to those of males ; the first ranges 

 of which participate in some measure in the irregularity of the former. 



But it is upon the construction of the bottoms o{ the intermediate ranges 

 of cells that this variation of their architecture chiefly hinges. The bot- 

 toms of the regular cells of bees are, as you are aware, composed of three 

 equal-sized rhomboidal pieces ; and the base of a cell on one side of the 

 comb is composed of portions of the bases of three cells on the other; 

 but the bottoms of the intermediate cells in question (though their orifices 

 are perfectly hexagonal) are composed o^ four pieces, of which two are 

 hexagonal and two rhomboidal ; and each, instead of corresponding with 

 three cells on the opposite side, corresponds with four. The size and the 

 shape of the four pieces composing the bottom vary ; and these interme- 

 diate cells, a little larger than the third part of the three opposite cells, 

 comprise in their contour a portion of the bottom of the fourth cell. Just 

 below the last range of cells with regular pyramidal bottoms are found 

 cells with bottoms of four pieces, of which three are very large, and one 

 very small, and this last is a rhomb. The two rhombs of the transition 

 cells are separated by a considerable interval ; but the two hexagonal 

 pieces are adjacent, and perfectly alike. A cell lower, we perceive that 

 the two rhombs of the bottom are not so unequal : the contour of the cell 

 has included a greater portion of the opposite fourth cell. Lastly, we 

 find cells in pretty considerable number of which the bottom is composed 

 of four pieces perfectly regular — namely, two elongated hexagons and 

 tw^o equal rhombs, but smaller than those of the pyramidal bottoms. In 

 proportion as we remove our view from the cells with regular tetrahedral 

 bottoms, whether in descending or from right to left, we see that the sub- 

 sequent cells resume their ordinary form : that is to say, that one of their 

 rhombs is gradually lessened until it finally disappears entirely ; and the 

 pyramidal form re-exhibits itself, but on a larger scale than in the cells at 

 the top of the comb. This regularity is maintained in a great number 

 of ranges, namely, those consisting of male cells ; afierwards the cells 

 diminish in size, and we again remark the tetrahedral bottoms just described, 

 until the cells have once more resumed the proper diameter of those of 

 workers. 



