344 BRITISH BEES, 



figures are triangles, squares, and hexagons; for the 

 space about any point may be filled up either by six 

 equilateral triangles, or four squares, or three hexagons ; 

 •whereas three pentagons are too little, and three hep- 

 tagons too much. Of these three, the bee makes use 

 of the hexagon, both because it is more capacious than 

 either of the others provided they be of equal compass, 

 and so equal matter spent in the construction of each. 

 And, secondly, because it is most commodious for the 

 bee to creep into. And, lastly, because in the other 

 figures more angles and sides must have met together at 

 the same point, and so the work could not have been so 

 firm and strong. Moreover, the combs being double, 

 the cells on each side the partition are so ordered that 

 the angles on one side insist upon the centres of the 

 bottoms of the cells on the other side, and not angle 

 upon or against angle; which also must needs contri- 

 bute to the strength and firmness of the work." 



Each cell therel'ore is in shape a hexagon, that is to 

 say, a figure with six equal sides, to each of which six 

 other hexagons attach, for each wall forms also one wall 

 of another hexagon. The basis of each hexagonal cavity 

 is of an obtuse three-sided pyramidal shape inverted, and 

 consisting of three rhomboidal plates, each forming one- 

 third of the basis of the three opposite cells ; thus the 

 edges of these three basal plates of one side support 

 three lateral walls of three hexagons on the other side. 

 The inverted triangular pyramid thus made by these 

 three equal rhomboidal plates, form, at one extremity and 

 at each pair of their posterior edges a re-entering angle, 

 and at the other extremity a salient angle. From these 

 edges spring the lateral walls of the hexagonal cell, this 

 shape being superinduced by the form of the edges of 



