18 



provided the first cavity formed bad not attained the full diameter of the complete cell. 

 The diameters of the cells would intersect each other ; but, if partitions be left between 

 them, the cell must be six-sided, if the cells remain equal in size. In order to make 

 the idea more clear, he (Mr. Waterhouse) would assume for a moment that it were a 

 law that a number of equal-sized circles, being packed closely together, side by side, 

 and that each circle was then surrounded by seven others ; he believed that the cell of 

 the hive bee would, in that case, have been seven-sided. Such were the views enter- 

 tained many years back by Mr. W., and published by him in the ' Penny Cyclopsedia ;' 

 and having subsequently had his attention particularly directed to the subject, whilst 

 examining the nests of a vast number of Hymenopterous insects, he still believes those 

 views to be essentially correct. He now, however, has reason to believe that it is not 

 absolutely necessary for the supposed natural diameters of the cells to intersect before 

 an angular-formed cell would be produced. The instinct which leads an insect to ex- 

 cavate, in order to form a cell, may lead it to excavate beyond what would be neces- 

 sary to form a sufficiently large cell, in the case of an insect, which, under ordinary 

 circumstances, burrows until it comes in contact with an adjoining cell. Contact with 

 other cells was the essential condition which influenced the angular form of any par- 

 ticular cell. It has been brought as an objection to his theory, Mr. W. went on to say, 

 that, in the case of the wasp or hornet, a single female insect constructs hexagonal 

 cells. This is true, but the same principle obtains, — no wasp builds a single, isolated, 

 hexagonal cell ; when wasps, or allied Hymenoptera, build hexagonal cells, many 

 cells are built almost simultaneously, the first cell has made the least possible progress 

 before six other cells are commenced around it, and these again have progressed very 

 little before others are commenced external to them and in their interstices, so that a 

 wasp's cell may be said to be altered into the hexagonal form as it proceeds, excepting 

 in the case of the outermost series of cells, where only the inner side of each cell is 

 angular, the outer side being almost always rounded. Mr. Waterhouse said he had 

 possessed a very small nest of a hornet which consisted of three cells only ; it was built 

 in a small cavity adjoining a large nest, and where there was not room for more than 

 three cells ; they were circular externally and angular internally, — that is to say, each 

 cell had two straight sides where it came in contact with two other cells, and was 

 rounded elsewhere. 



Mr. Tegetmeier remarked that he possessed a small piece of honey-comb which 

 presented the same peculiarities. 



Mr. Tegetmeier added that he had found it a great improvement to have double 

 glass to observatory hives. 



In answer to a question from Mr. Lubbock, Mr. Tegetmeier stated that he had not 

 made any observations, confirmatory or otherwise, of the theories advanced by Professor 

 Siebold, relative to the reproduction of these insects. 



Mr. Murray observed, with reference to this subject, that Professor Simpson had 

 transferred eggs from drone to queen cells, and that a larva produced therefrom grew 

 so large that at length it reached the glass of the observatory hive in which the experi- 

 ment took place, and then died : he thought it would be interesting to have this grub 

 dissected, in order to ascertain whether it was a female or not. 



Part 7 of Vol. iv., new series, of the Society's ' Transactions ' was on the table. 



