THE HTVE feEE. 25Q 



Proofs of their sagacity. 



laying the foundations of new ones. In certain 

 circumstances, when extremely hurried, they do 

 not complete their new cells, hut leave them im- 

 perfect till they Have begun a number of suffici- 

 ent for their present exigences. When a bee 

 puts its head a little way into a cell, we easily 

 perceive it scraping the walls with the points of 

 its teeth, in order to detach such useless and irre- 

 gular fragments as may have been left in the 

 work. Of these fragments the bee forms a ball 

 about the size of a pin's head, comes out of the 

 cell, and carries this wax to another part of the 

 work, where it is wanted: it no sooner leaves the 

 cell, than it is succeeded by another bee which 

 performs the same office ; and in this manner the 

 work is successively carried on till the cell is 

 completely polished. 



The mode of these animals working, and the 

 disposition and division of their labour, when put 

 into an empty hive, are proofs of their sagacity. 

 They immediately begin to lay the foundations 

 of their combs, which they execute with surpris- 

 iftg quickness and alacrity. Soon after they be- 

 gin to construct one comb; they divide into com- 

 panies, as observed, each of which in different 

 parts of the hive is occupied in the same opera- 

 tions. By this division of labour, a great num- 

 ber of bees have an opportunity of being em- 

 ployed at the same time, and, consequently, the 

 common work is sooner finished. The combs 

 are generally arranged in a direction parallel to 



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