14: BEES. 



It will be seen that the back cells must necessarily be of 

 the same shape to fit exactly into these, and the same with 

 those below. Every wall is the wall of two cells, each roof 

 also a floor, and each floor also a roof. The first tiers con- 

 sequently are pentagonal, or five-sided, the roof to whicli 

 they are attached being- straight, whilst all the other tiers 

 below are hexagonal, or six-sided, their top being the two 

 planes that form the bottom of the upper tier. Each cell is 

 thus surrounded by six others. These excavations and scoop- 

 ings form, of course, only the floors of the cells, and from 

 the edges of the floors the walls are built. It has been 

 •discovered that each cell is perfect in itself, and has six 

 sides of its own, so that the side of one cell does not form 

 a party-wall, as it were, to the cell next to it, but the wall of 

 its neighbour will be spread upon the outside of its own 

 wall. The cells have been separated in order to prove this 

 curious fact; and as every wall of each cell is varnished 

 over with a thin layer of propolis, there is, of course, a double 

 layer of propolis between the cells, by means of which a very 

 careful hand can sufficiently separate the walls to prove 

 that each wall is double. The double walls, however, being 

 exceedingly thin, and their external edges covered with one 

 ridge of propolis, it is impossible, from their external appear- 

 ance, to imagine that there is more than one thickness of 

 wax between the cells. Had it not been for the varnish of pro- 

 polis, the walls would, of course, soon merge into one by the 

 heat of the hive ; but that varnish, although inconceivably 

 thin, is quite sufficient to keep them distinct enough for the 

 eye to ascertain that they are double. The cells lie nearly 

 horizontal, their mouths being a little elevated, and opening 

 upon the street, or passage, whicli the bee- architect leaves 

 on each side of every comb. Such is the general construc- 

 tion of the cells. 



All animals appear to work in a circular direction, or, at 

 all events, in a segment of a circle. This, probably, is 

 occasioned by the creature using some part of its body as a 

 pivot, and thereby necessarily working circularly. If we 

 look at the labours of other insects besides the hive-bee, we 

 find this to be the case. The leaf-cutter bee shaves off a 

 semicircular piece from the edge of a leaf, and fixes it 

 against the sides of her cylindrical cell. Not to mention the 



