122 Messrs. C. Dawson and S. A. Woodliead on the 



he surmised that the outline of bee-cells might be primarily- 

 due to the natural structure produced in cooling wax "^ 

 (%. !)■ 



At the instance of Mr. Woodliead, who also recognized the 

 analytical importance of such a discovery, we agreed to work 

 out the details together in Mr. Woodhead's laboratory at the 

 Agricultural College, Uckfield. 



It was first of all determined that, although the addition to 

 beeswax of resinous substances gave a more pronounced and 

 bolder outline to the hexagons, no such addition was necessary 

 to beeswax for their production. 



If a thin slab of beeswax be melted in a shallow tray 

 (measuring, say, 10 by 8 inches), which is evenly heated 

 throughout and is then placed to cool gradually in a warm 

 atmosphere without draught, hexagonal forms of the ordinary 

 size of a worker-cell of the hive-bee will be seen gradually 

 forming at the bottom of the dish ; and a similar line of 

 hexagons will be seen to form on the surface of the wax 

 round the sides of the dish where the wax first cools. The 

 sides of the hexagon are to be seen forming and branching 

 out in advance of the cooling wax, and when a portion of the 

 wax in the centre of the dish alone remains melted the 

 remaining crystals form very rapidly and almost appear to 

 flash out upon the surface. 



The tray should be exactly level and the wax about 



* The specimens in illustration of this paper may be seen at the 

 Laboratory at the Agricultural College, Uckfield, Sussex. 



