Hive-Bees. 131 



She then passes it backwards by means of her feet to tho 

 cavity of her basket, giving it two or three pats to make it 

 adhere ; and when she adds a second portion to tho first, she 

 often finds it necessary to pat it still harder. When she has 

 procured as much as the basket will conveniently hold, she 

 flies off with it to the hive. 



THE BUILDING OF THE CELLS. 



The notion commonly entertained respecting glass hives 

 is altogether erroneous. Those who are unacquainted with 

 bees, imagine that, by means of a glass hive, all their pro- 

 ceedings may be easily watched and recorded ; but it is to 

 be remembered that bees are exceedingly averse to the 

 intrusion of light, and their first operation in such cases 

 is to close up every chink by which light can enter to dis- 

 turb them, either by clustering together, or by a plaster 

 composed of propolis. It consequently requires consider- 

 able management and ingenuity, even with the aid of a glass 

 hive, to see them actually at work. M. Hubcr employed a 

 hive with leaves, which opened in the manner of a book ; 

 and for some purposes he used a glass box, inserted in the 

 body of the hive, but easily brought into view by means of 

 screws. 



But no invention hitherto contrived is sufficient to obviate 

 every difficulty. The bees are so eager to afford mutual 

 assistance, and for this purpose so many of them crowd 

 together in rapid succession, that the operations of indi- 

 viduals can seldom be traced. Though this crowding, how- 

 ever, appears to an observer to be not a little confused, it is 

 all regulated with admirable order, as has been ascertained 

 by Reaumur and other distinguished naturalists. 



When bees begin to build the hive, they divide them- 

 selves into bands, one of which produces materials for the 

 structure ; another works upon these, and forms them into 

 a rough sketch of the dimensions and partitions of the cells. 

 All this is completed by the second baud, who examine and 

 adjust the angles, remove the superfluous wax, and give the 



