58 LECTURE Y. 



the hive, as they do in colder countries, the 

 great heat of the sun would melt the wax, and 

 all their fanning would be to no purpose. They 

 therefore place it in very small waxen bottles, 

 somewhat in shape of an inverted mushroom, 

 the stalk or neck being uppermost. These are 

 placed at the bottom of the hive, and in this 

 situation the wax is kept cooler, and, of course, 

 less liable to suffer from heat. 



I think that these facts will show you that 

 bees are possessed of sense, or what some would 

 call a superior intellect. It is not, however, 

 only their sense which we should admire, but 

 also their industry and usefulness. They are 

 never idle, but work from morning to night in 

 collecting honey; and when the weather is bad 

 they employ themselves in cleaning the hive, 

 and in making and repairing their cells. These 

 cells are beautifully constructed; and, as the 

 bees are obliged to pass over them very fre- 

 quently, the edges of them are much stronger 

 and thicker than the walls of the cells. These 

 edges, however, serve another purpose, as they 

 help to retain the honey. When the cells are 

 filled, they are covered over with wax, and not 

 opened until the honey is wanted. 



