38 HISTORY OF INSECTS. 



figure ensures the greatest possible economy of material 

 and space ; the outer edges of the cells are slightly thick- 

 ened, in order to gain strength; the same part is also 

 covered with a beautiful varnish, which is supposed to give 

 additional strength. The construction of several combs is 

 generally going on at the same time : no sooner is the 

 foundation of one laid, with a few rows of cells attached 

 to it, than a second and a third are founded on each side, 

 parallel to the first, and so on till the hive is filled, the 

 combs which were commenced first, being always in the 

 most advanced state, and therefore the first completed. 



The design of every comb is sketched out, and the first 

 rudiments laid by a single bee : this foundress-bee forms a 

 block out of a rough mass of wax, drawn partly from its 

 own resources, but principally from those of other bees, 

 which furnish wax from the small sacs before described, 

 taking out the plates of wax with their hind feet, and car- 

 rying it with their fore feet to their mouths, where it is 

 moistened, masticated, and rendered soft and ductile. The 

 foundress-bee determines the relative position of the combs 

 and their distance from each other, the foundations which 

 she marks serving as guides to the ulterior labours of the 

 wax-working bees, and of those which build the cells, 

 giving them the advantage of the margins and angles al- 

 ready formed. The mass of wax prepared by the assist- 

 ants, is applied by the foundress-bee to the roof or bottom 

 of the hive, and thus a slightly double-convex mass is 

 formed : when of sufficient size, a cell is sculptured on 

 one side of it by the bees, who relieve one another in the 

 labour. At the back, and on each side of this first cell, 

 two others are sketched out and excavated : by this pro- 

 ceeding the foundations of two cells are laid, the line be- 

 twixt them corresponding with the centre of the opposite 

 cells : as the comb extends, the first excavations are ren- 



