THE HIVE BEE. 39I 



ence and attention, we perceive cells just begum 

 we likewise remark the quickness with which a 

 bee moves its teeth against a small portion or the 

 cell. This portion the animal, by repeated strokes 

 on each side, smooths, renders compact, and re- 

 duces to a proper thinness. While some of the 

 hive are lengthening their hexagonal tubes, others 

 are laying the foundations of new ones. In certain 

 circumstances, when extremely hurried, they do not 

 complete their new cells, but leave them imperfect 

 till they have begun a number sufficient for their 

 present exigencies. 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 irregular 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 ano- 

 ther part of the work, where it is wanted : it no 

 sooner leaves the cell, than it is succeeded by ano- 

 ther bee, which performs the same office ; and in 

 this manner the work is successively carried on till 

 the cell is completely polished. 



Their mode of working, and the disposition and 

 division of their labour, when put into an empty 

 hive, do much honour to the sagacity of bees. They 

 immediately begin to lay the foundations of their 

 combs, which they execute with surprising quick- 

 ness and alacrity. Soon after they begin to con- 

 struct one comb -, they divide into two or three con> 

 panies, each of which in different parts of the hive 

 is occupied in the same operations. By this divi- 



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