S^Q THE PHILOSOPHY 



oufly,- it then affumes all the appearances and qualities of 

 common wax. There is a ftill ftronger proof that wax is the 

 refult of an animal procefs. When bees are removed into a 

 new hive, and clofely confined from the morning to the even- 

 ing, if the hive chances to pleafe them, in the courfe of this 

 day feveral waxen cells will be formed, without the poffioili- 

 ty of a fingle bee's having had accefs to the fields. Befides, 

 the rude materials, or the farina of plants, carried into the 

 hive, are of various colours. The farina of fome plants em- 

 ployed by the bees is whitifh ; in others it is of a fine yel- 

 low colour ; in others it is almoft entirely red *, and in oth- 

 ers it is green. The combs conftruiSted with thefe differ- 

 ently coloured materials are, however, uniformly of the fame 

 colour. Every comb, efpecially when it is newly made, is of 

 a pure white colour, which is more or lefs tarnifhed by age, 

 the operation of the air, or by other accidental circumftances. 

 To bleach wax, therefore, requires only the art of extract- 

 ing fuch foreign bodies as may have infinuated themf'elves 

 into its fubftance and changed its original colour. 



Bees, from the nature of their conftitution, require a 

 warm habitation. They are likewife extremely folicitous 

 to prevent infedls of any kind from getting admittance into 

 their hives. To accomplifh both thefe purpofes, when they 

 take pofleflion of a new hive, they carefully examine every 

 part of it, and, if they difcover any fmall holes or chinks, 

 they immediately pafte them firmly up with a refinous fub- 

 flance which differs confiderably from wax. This fubftance 

 was not unknown to the ancients. Pliny mentions it under 

 the name o£ propolis, or bee-glue. Bees ufe the propolis for 

 rendering their hives more clofe and perfect, in preference 

 to wax, becaufe the former is more durable, and more pow- 

 erfully refifts the viciffitudes of weather than the latter. 

 This glue is not, like wax, procured by an animal procefs. 

 The bees colledl it from different trees, as the poplars, the 



