APIARIJE. 125 



the rows of cells on one side of the comb may deviate from 



their true direction with regard to those on the other, to the 



extent of 30." 



u Thus, if a piece of normal comb be held in the position in 



which it was built, two of the opposite angles of the hexagon, 



Fig. 75, A, a, will be in the 



same vertical line, and two 



of the sides will be parallel 



to this. The same is true 



of the opposite side of the 



comb ; and thus all the cor- * T f T r~/ 



responding parts of the cells 



on the two sides will be par- 

 allel. In the deviation we 



are now noticing, the change 



is like that represented in A, 



where the cell a is in its 



true position, while the cell 



6, which is from the oppo- 

 site side, and is in contact 



with <x, varies from it by 



about 30. If we look at 



these two cells in the direc- 

 tion of their sides as at B, 



the prism a will have one Fig. 76. 



of its angles towards the eye, and b one of its sides. 



In consequence of this deviation and the continual crossing 



of the rows on opposite sides, the pyramidal base is not made, 



and the cell is shortened. 



" 7. In curved or bent combs the 

 cells on the concave side tend to be- 

 come narrower, while those on the 

 other tend to become broader to- 

 wards their mouths. In Fig. 76 

 (this and Figs. 77 and 78 are made 

 77> from impressions obtained directly 



from the comb and transferred to wood ; they represent the 



form of the cells exactly), as in the central line of cells, there 



are a variety of hexagons, each resulting from the union 



