OF NATURAL HISTORY. 339 



crity. Soon after they begin to conftrufl: one comb, they divide 

 into two or three companies, each of which, in different parts of the 

 hive, is occupied with the fame operations. By this divifion of 

 labour, a greater number of bees have an opportunity of being em- 

 ployed at the fame time, and, confequently, the common work is 

 fooner finifhed. The combs are generally arranged in a diredion 

 parallel to each other. An interval or ftreet between the combs is 

 always left, that the bees may have a free paffage, and an eafy com- 

 munication with the different combs in the hive. Thefe ftreets are 

 juft wide enough to allow two bees to pafs one another. Befule 

 thefe parallel ftreets, to ftiorten their journey when working, they 

 leave feveral round crofs paflages, which are always covered. 



Hitherto we have chiefly taken notice of the manner in which 

 bees con ftruft and polifh their cells, without treating of the mate- 

 rials they employ. We have not marked the difference between the 

 crude matter collefted from flowers and the true wax. Every body 

 knows that bees carry into their hives, by means of their hind 

 thighs, great quantities of the farina or duft of flowers. After many 

 experiments made by Reaumur, with a view to difcover whether 

 this duft contained real wax, he was obliged to acknowledge, that 

 he could never find that wax formed any part of its compofuion. 

 He at length difcovered, that wax was not a fubftance produced by 

 the mixture of farina with any glutinous fubftance, nor by tritura- 

 tion, or any mechanical operation. By long and attentive obferva- 

 tion, he found that the bees adually eat the farina which they fo 

 induftrioufly colledl ; and that this farina, by an animal procefs, is 

 converted into wax. This digeftive procefs, which is neceflary to 

 the formation of wax, is carried on in the fecond ftomach, and per- 

 haps in the inteftines of bees. After knowing the place where this 

 operation is performed, chymifts will probably allow, that it is equal- 

 ly difficult to make real wax with the farina of flowers, as to make 



U u 2 chyle 



