CARDER-BEES. 



57 



only a few egg-sliaped, dark-coloured cells, placed some- 

 what irregularly, but approacliing more to the horizontal 

 than to the vertical position, and connected together with 

 small amorphous* columns of brown wax. Sometimes there 

 are two or three of these oval cells placed one above another, 

 without anything to unite them. 



These cells are not, however, the workmanship of the 

 old bees, but of their young grubs, who spin them when 

 they are about to change into nymphs. But, from these 

 cases, when they are spun, the enclosed insects have no 

 means of escaping, and they depend for their liberation 

 on the old bees gnawing off the covering, as is done also 

 by ants in the same circumstances. The instinct with 

 which they know the precise time when it is proper to 

 do this is truly wonderful. It is no less so, that these 

 cocoons are by no means useless when thus untenanted, 

 for they subsequently serve for honey-pots, and are in- 

 deed the only store-cells in the nest. For this purpose 

 the edge of the cell is repaired and strengthened with a 

 ring of wax. 



The true breeding-cells are contained in several amor- 

 phous masses of brown-coloured wax, varying in dimensions, 

 but of a somewhat flat and globular shape. On opening 



Broediug-Cells. 



any of these, a number of eggs or grubs are found, on whose 

 account the mother bee has collected the masses of wax, 

 which also contain a supply of pollen moistened with honey, 

 for their subsistence. 



The number of eggs or grubs found in one spheroid of 

 wax varies from three to thirty, and the bees in a whole 

 * Shapeless. 



