114 ARCHITECTURE OF BEES. 



given space ; they become, therefore, necessarily 

 hexagons by reciprocal compression. In like man- 

 ner, every bee seeks to occupy the greatest possible 

 room in a given space ; it is therefore necessary here 

 also, since the body of the bee is cylindrical, that; 

 their cells should be cylindrical, by reason of the same 

 reciprocal compression." 



To this reasoning it may be answered, that there 

 is no analogy between the cases. A hive without 

 comb as Lombard argues, is not above one- fourth 

 filled with bees ; and there is no cover, as in the case 

 of the vessel, to keep the mass together. To make 

 the cases perfectly similar, and fit subjects of com- 

 parison, the vessel with water ought to be filled but to 

 the extent of one-fourth ; and in that case, the cylin- 

 drical seeds will not be converted into hexagons. 

 Besides, the cells at the extremities of the combs, 

 though not so deep as those at the centre, are as 

 exactly hexagonal in their forms. Now, if hexagons 

 are formed by the reciprocal impression of the bodies 

 of the bees against each other, how does it happen 

 that the cells at the extremities, which are not attached 

 to the sides or bottom of the hive, and where, con- 

 sequently, there can be no reciprocal compression, 

 should yet be as perfect hexagons as the rest ? And, 

 not to dwell on other proofs adduced by Lombard 

 and other writers, of the utter insignificancy of this 

 naturalist's theory the cells have not all the same 

 figure, the same dimensions, depth, and diameter, 

 which they would necessarily have, if they had been 

 produced merely by reciprocal compression. No; 



