The Life of the Bee 



space, or too little, between the combs. 

 This they will remedy as best they can, 

 either by giving an oblique twist to the 

 comb that too nearly approaches the other, 

 or by introducing an irregular comb into 

 the gap. " The bees sometimes make 

 mistakes," Reaumur remarks on this sub- 

 ject, " and herein we may find yet another 

 fact which appears to prove that they 

 reason." 



[54] 



We know that the bees construct four 

 kinds of cells. First of all, the royal 

 cells, which are exceptional, and contrived 

 somewhat in the shape of an acorn ; then 

 the large cells destined for the rearing 

 of males and storing of provisions when 

 flowers super-abound ; and the small cells, 

 serving as workers' cradles and ordinary 

 store-rooms, which occupy normally about 

 four-fifths of the built-over surface of the 

 188 



