480 INSTINCT OF INSECTS. 



wax happens before they have been able to give to their 

 combs the requisite diameter, a large vacant space is left 

 between the edges of these combs, which are only fixed 

 by their upper part, and* the sides of the hive ; and they 

 might be pulled down by the weight of the honey, did 

 not the bees ensure their stability by introducing large 

 irregular masses of wax between their edges and the 

 sides of the hive. A striking instance of this art of se- 

 curing their magazines occurred to Huber. A comb, 

 not having been originally well fastened to the top of his 

 glass hive, fell down during the winter amongst the other 

 combs, preserving, however, its parallelism with them. 

 The bees could not fill up the space between its upper 

 edge and the top of the hive, because they never con- 

 struct combs of old wax, and they had not then an op- 

 portunity of procuring new : at a more favourable sea- 

 son they would not have hesitated to build a new comb 

 upon the old one; but it being inexpedient at that period 

 to expend their provision of honey in the elaboration of 

 wax, they provided for the stability of the fallen comb 

 by another process. They furnished themselves with 

 wax from the other combs, by gnawing away the rims of 

 the cells more elongated than the rest, and then betook 

 themselves in crowdsj some upon the edges of the fallen 

 comb, others between its sides and those of the adjoin- 

 ing combs ; and there securely fixed it, by constructing 

 several ties of different shapes between it and the glass 

 of the hive ; some were pillars, others buttresses, and 

 others beams artfully disposed and adapted to the loca- 

 lities of the surfaces joined. Nor did they content them- 

 selves with repairing the accidents which their masonry 

 had experienced ; they provided against those which 



