TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 141 



mausoleum or monument, standing in the middle of 

 the hive, remains the sole vestige of the deceased 

 enemy." 



" Certainly very ingenious. But now, about wax 

 and honey ? " 



"I am coming to that. As soon as the abode is 

 made habitable the workers in wax begin to fabricate 

 the hexagonal cells with which you are familiar, and 



FRAGMENT OF COMB, WITH BEES AT WOKE ON IT. 



which serve the double purpose of storehouses for 

 provisions and of cradles for the future posterity. 



" This wax is secreted by the bees. Formerly it was 

 supposed to be gathered from flowers, but it is now 

 known that it is secreted by means of a special struc- 

 ture on the hinder part of the body, and that it is not 

 pollen, kneaded or altered by working. 



"With regard to honey, it appears that they in 



