THE BEE. 



•appeared that the proper angles for the lozenges would be 70° 34' 

 for the acute, and consequently 109° 26' for the obtuse angle. 

 Here are then in juxtaposition the result of the labours of the 

 geometer and the bee. 



We leave the reader to enjoy the contemplation of these num- 

 bers without one word more of comment. 



65. "Besides the saving of wax effected by the form of the 

 cells, the bees adopt another economical plan suited to the same 

 end. They compose the bottoms and sides of wax of very great 

 tenuity, not thicker than a sheet of writing-paper ; but as walls of 

 this thickness at the entrance would be perpetually injured by the 

 ingress and egress of the workers, they prudently make the margin 

 at the opening of each cell three or four times thicker than the 

 walls. Dr. Barclay discovered that though of such excessive 

 tenuity, the sides and bottom of each cell are actually double, or 

 in other words, that each cell is distinct, separate, and in some 

 measure an independent structure, agglutinated only to the 

 neighbouring cells ; and that when the agglutinating substance 

 is destroyed, each cell may be entirely separated from the rest. 

 This, however, has been denied by Mr. Waterhouse, and seems 

 inconsistent with the account given by Huber, hereafter detailed; 

 but Mr. G-. Newport asserts, that even the virgin-cells are lined 

 with a delicate membrane." * 



* Kirby, i. p. 412. 



32 



