34:2 THE PHILOSOPHY 



faving of wax, nnd preventing void fpaces, the bafes of the 

 cells in one frratum of a comb ferve for bafes to the oppofite 

 ftratum. In a word^ the more minutely the conftrudlion of 

 thefe cells are examined, the more will the admiration of the 

 obferver be excited. The v/alls of the cells are fo extremely 

 thin, that their mouths would be in danger of fufFering by the 

 frequent entering and ifTuing of the bees. To prevent this 

 difafter, they make a kind of ring round the margin of each 

 cell, and this ring is three or four times thicker than the walls. 

 It is difficult to perceive, even with the afliftance of glafs- 

 hives, the manner in which bees operate when conftrucTting 

 their cells. They are fo eager to afford mutual aliiflance, 

 and, for this purpofe, fb many of them crowd together, and 

 are perpetually fucceeding each other, that their individual 

 operations can feldom be diilinclly obferved. It has, how- 

 ever, been plainly difcovered, that their two teeth are the oji- 

 ly inftruments they employ in modelHng and polifliing the 

 wax. With a httle patience and attention, we perceive cells 

 juft begun : We likewife remark the quicknefs with which 

 a bee moves its teeth againft- a fmall portion of the cell. This 

 portion the animal, by repeated ftrokes on each fide, fmooths, 

 renders compaft, and reduces to a proper thinnefs of con- 

 fiftence. While fome of the hive are lengthening their 

 hexagonal tubes, others are laying the foundations of new 

 ones. In certain circumftances, when extremely hurried, 

 they do not complete their new cells, but leave them impcr- 

 fe6l till they have begun a number fufficient for their prefent 

 exigencies. WHien a bee puts its head a little way into a 

 cell, we ealily perceive it fcraping the walls with the points 

 of its teeth, in order to detach fuch ufelefs and irregular 

 fragments as may have been left in the work. Of thefe 

 fragments the bee forms a ball about the fize of a pin-head, 

 comes out of the cell, and Cvirries this wax to another part 

 @f the work where it is needed. It no fooner leaves the 



