152 



THE AMERICAN BE^ JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



the cell, which even at its edges is supported by 

 three cells, and gives a partial support to three 

 others. As the walls of the cells are extremely 

 thin, the bee always strengthens their mouths by 

 a thick edging of harder wax than that with 

 Avhich the cell itself is made. The engineer who 

 plans girders, boilers, and other objects of a 

 similar character, acts in precisely the same 

 manner, and strengthens the comparatively thin 

 and yielding plates by flanges and angle-irons. 



Many inquirers have asked themselves how 

 the bee constructs the comb, and on what prin- 

 ciple it proceeds. To this question there have 

 been several answers, none of which appear to 

 be satisfactory. One ingenious entomologist 

 remarked that, when the bee placed the claws 

 of its fore-feet against each other, the limbs em- 

 braced a hexagonal space, of which the thorax 

 formed the side. Another very popular so- 

 lution of the question, is that which may be 

 called the " sculpture" theory. 



The bee that commences the task is supposed 

 to work a lump of wax on the stick or bar which 

 supports a comb, and then to excavate a cir- 

 cular hole in one side, the interior of the hole 

 being shaped like a concave line. Round this 

 hole or basin the bee then excavates six other 

 holes of equal diameter, so that their edges 

 nearly touch each other. It then cuts away the 

 wax from each basin until the material is reduced 

 to the requisite thinness, and thus obtains the 

 hexagonal cell. In the meantime, another bee 

 is working in the same manner on the opposite 

 side of the wax, taking care, however, to make 

 the centre of its first basin correspond with the 

 union of three basins on the opposite side. A 

 similar system of sculpturing is carried on, so 

 that at last a series of hexagonal basins is 

 formed, from which rise the walls of the future 

 cells. 



There is an amount of plausibility about this 

 theory which is very attractive. It must, how- 

 ever, be remembered that the bee is still sup- 

 posed to execute problems which are as difficult 

 as that which they are presumed to explain. 



In the first place, on this theory, the bee must 

 strike perfect circles from centres, the distance 

 of which from each other must be accurately 

 adjusted. Again, these centres must be so 

 placed that the centre of the circle sculptured 

 on one side of the comb must be equidistant 

 from the centres of the three adjacent circles on 

 the other side — a problem of no easy accom- 

 plishment, even with the aid of rule and com- 

 pass. Then, if the circles be not perfect, or 

 these centres be wrongly placed, or the hollow 

 of one cut deeper than that of another, or the 

 hemispherical form of the hollow not precisely 

 just, the whole accuracy of the angles is de- 

 stroyed, and the entire comb would be as dis- 

 torted as the first essays of a young carpenter. 



Then there is another explanation which 

 may be called the "equal pressure" theory. 

 The bee is, according to the advocates of this 

 theory, supposed to construct all the cells of a 

 cylindrical shape, and the cells are supposed to 

 assume the hexagonal form by equal pressure 

 in all directions. Every one knows that cj^lin- 

 ders made of a yielding substance always become 

 hexagonal if pressed together, and a similar 



process was supposed to cause the hexagonal 

 shape of the bee-cell. 



There is another theory which I believe to 

 be entirely original, which is suggested by the 

 well-known mathematician and crystalographer 

 above-mentioned. Mr. Mitchell writes to me 

 as follows : 



" It may not be out of place to remark that 

 the bee-cell forms a mould, as it were, of the 

 natural form of a crystal. There is in nature a 

 great variety of crystals, hexagonal prisms 

 terminated by three planes, like a bee-cell. 

 These have- many different angles. But there 

 is one form, called the rhombic dodecahedron, 

 very frequently found in natural crystals of the 

 garnet, which has precisely the same angles as 

 the bee-cell. 



" Certain crystals split naturally into planes 

 precisely like the lozenges which have already 

 been desci'ibed in giving the key to the struc- 

 ture of the bee-cell. May it not, therefore, be 

 possible that wax, which is a crytalline sub- 

 stance, cleaves in this particular direction; and 

 does not the bee use thispropert^y in forming its 

 cell ? Though this vague conjecture should 

 prove to be true, we shall not less admire the 

 marvelous instinct which combines this fact 

 with the structure of the cell." 



It would of course be easy to fill many pages 

 with the account of the hive-bee and its habits; 

 but we shall here only mention particularly the 

 material of which the comb is made. 



The other hymenoptera obtain their materials 

 from external sources. The hornet and wasp 

 have recourse to trees and branches, and bear 

 home in their mouths the bundles of woody 

 fibre which they have gnawed away. The up- 

 holsterer and leaf-cutter bees are indebted to 

 the petals and leaves of various plants, and 

 various wood-boring insects make their homes 

 of the woody particles which they have nibbled 

 away. The bee, however, obtains her wax in 

 a very diff"erent manner. 



If the body of a worker-bee be carefully 

 examined, on the under sides of the abdomen 

 will be seen six little flaps, not unlike pockets, 

 the covers of which can be easily raised with a 

 pin or needle. Under these flaps is secreted the 

 wax, which is produced in tiny scales or plates, 

 and may be seen projecting from the flaps like 

 little semilunar white lines. Plenty of food, 

 quiet and warmth are necessary for the pro- 

 duction of wax, and as it is secreted very slowly, 

 it is so valuable that the greatest economy i» 

 needed in its use. It is indeed a wonderful 

 substance; soft enough, when warm, to be 

 kneaded and to be spread like mortar, and hard 

 enough, when cold, to bear the weight of brood 

 and honey. Moreover, it is of a sturcture so 

 close that the honey cannot soak through the 

 delicate walls of the cells, as would soon be tho 

 case if the comb were made of woody fibre, liko 

 that of the hornet or wasp. 



Indeed, it is a most remarkable fact that the 

 bee should be able to produce not only the 

 honey, but the material with which is formed 

 the treasury wherein the honey is stored. Honey 

 itself is again scarcely less remarkable than 

 wax. 



The bee goes to certain flowers, inscJlB 



