450 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



angles. Keaumur, on receiving the answer, concluded that the 

 Bee had very nearly solved the difficult mathematical problem, 

 the difference between the measurement and the calculation beino- 

 so small as to be practically negatived in the actual construction 

 of so small an object as the bee-cell. 



Mathematicians were naturally delighted with the result of 

 the investigation, for it showed how beautifully practical science 

 could be aided by theoretical knowledge, and the construction of 

 the bee-cell became a famous problem in the economy of nature. 

 In comparison with the honey which the cell is intended to con- 

 tain, the wax is a rare and costly substance, secreted in very 

 small quantities, and requiring much time for its production ; it 

 is therefore essential that the quantity of wax employed in mak- 

 ing the comb should be as little, and that of the honey contained 

 in it as great, as possible. 



For a long time these statements remained uncontroverted. 



