BEE. 425 



" The wax is formed by the bees themselves ; it may be called 

 an external secretion of oil, and I have found that it is formed be- 

 tween each scale of the under side of the belly. When I first 

 observed this substance, in ray examination of the working bee, I 

 was at a loss to say what it was : I asked myself if it was new 

 scales forming ; and whether they cast the oM, as the lobster, &c. 

 does ? but it was to be found only between the scales, on the lower 

 side of the belly. On examining the bees through glass hives, 

 while they were climbing up the glass, I could see that most of 

 them had this substance ; for it looked as if the lower, or posterior 

 edge of the scale, was double, or that there was a double scale: but 

 I perceived it was loose, not attached. Finding that the substance 

 brought in on their legs was farina, intended, as appeared from 

 every circumstance, to be the food of the maggot, and not to make 

 wax ; and not having yet perceived any thing that could give them 

 the least idea of wax, I conceived these scales might be it ; at least 

 I thought it necessary to investigate them. I therefore took se- 

 veral on the point of a needle, and held them to a candle, where 

 they melted, and immediately formed themselves into a round 

 globe ; upon which I no longer doubted but this was the wax, 

 which opinion was confirmed to me by not finding those scales but 

 in the building season. In the bottom of the hive we see a good 

 many of the scales lying loose, some pretty perfect, others in 

 pieces. I have endeavoured to catch them, either taking this 

 matter out of themselves, from between the scales of the abdomen, 

 or from one another, but never could satisfy myself in this respect : 

 however, I once caught a bee examining between the scales of the 

 belly of another, but I could not find that it took any thing from 

 between. We very often see some of the bees wagging their belly, 

 as if tickled, running round, and to and fro, for only a little way, 

 followed by one or two other bees, as if examining them. I con. 

 ceived they were probably shaking out the scales of wax, and that 

 the others were ready upon the watch to catch them, but I could 

 not absolutely determine what they did. It is with these scales 

 that they form the cells called comb, but perhaps not entirely, for, 

 I believe, they mix farina with it ; however, this only occasionally, 

 when probably the secretion is not in great plenty. I have some 

 reason to think, that where no other substance is introduced, the 



