INSTINCT OF INSECTS. 485 



waxen walls by which the combs are suspended, and 

 providently hasten to substitute for them thicker walls, 

 and pillars of a more compact and viscid material. 



But their foresight does not stop here. When they 

 have sufficient wax, they make their combs of such a 

 breadth as to extend to the sides of the hive, to which 

 they cement them by constructions approaching more 

 or less to the shape of cells. But when a scarcity of 

 wax happens before they have been able to give to 

 their combs the requisite diameter, a large vacant space 

 is left between the edges of these combs, which are on- 

 ly fixed by their upper part, and the sides of the hive ; 

 and they might be pulled down by the weight of the 

 honey, did not the bees insure their stability by intro- 

 ducing- large irregular masses of wax between their 

 edges and the sides of the hive. — A striking- instance 

 of this art of securing their magazines occurred to Ru- 

 ber. A Gomb, not having been originally well fastened 

 to the top of his glass hive, fell down during the win- 

 ter amongst the other combs, preserving, however, its 

 parallelism with them. The bees could not fill up the 

 npace between its upper edge and the top of the hive, 

 because they never construct combs of old wax, and 

 they had not then an opportunity of procuring new : 

 at a more favourable season they would not have he- 

 sitated to build a new comb upon the old one ; but it 

 being inexpedient at that period to expend their pro- 

 vision of honey in the elaboration of wax, they pro- 

 vided for the stability of the fallen comb by another 

 j)rocess. They furnished themselves with wax from 

 the other combs, by gnawing away the rims of the cells 

 more elongated than the rest, and tlien betook them- 



