278 COMB. 



well filled hive) these streets are sufficiently con- 

 tracted to avoid waste of room and to preserve a 

 proper warmth, yet wide enough to allow the passage 

 of two bees back to back." 



The width of the streets is greater adjacent to 

 the brood combs than to the store, being almost half 

 an inch between the former, while less than a third 

 between the latter ; the bees are thereby enabled to 

 hover their brood, as well as to cluster together in 

 sufficient masses to keep themselves warm during the 

 cold weather ; besides having access to their stores 

 at all times. 



" There are only three possible figures of the cells," 

 says Dr. Reid, " which can make them all equal and 

 similar, without any useless interstices. These are 

 the equilateral triangle, the square, and the regular 

 hexagon. It is well known to mathematicians that 

 there is not a fourth way possible, in which a plane 

 may be cut into little spaces that shall be equal, sim- 

 ilar and regular, without leaving any interstices. Of 

 these three geometrical figures, the hexagon most 

 completely unites the prime requisites for insect archi- 

 tecture. The truth of this proposition was perceived 

 by Pappus, an eminent Greek philosopher and math- 

 ematician, who lived at Alexandria, in the reign of 

 Theodosius the Great, and its adoption by bees in the 

 construction of honey-combs was noticed by that an- 

 cient geometrician. These requisites are : 



" FIRST. Economy of material.- There are no use- 

 less partitions in a honey comb ; each of the six lat- 



