THE HIVE-BEE. 



431 



lozenge-shaped figure which has just been described, let, him draw 

 upon cardboard nine of them, as is shown in the illustration 

 (fig. 4.) Then let him cut out the figure, and draw his penknife 

 half through the cardboard at all the lines of junction. He 

 will then find that the cardboard will fold into an exact model 

 of a bee-cell, the three lozenges which project from the sides 

 forming the base, and the others the sides. This cell will, of 

 course, have very short sides ; but by the simple expedient of 

 wideiung the lozenges, which form the sides, without altering the 

 angles, the imitation cell can be made of any desired length. 



The best way of showing this beautiful structure is to make 

 two models, one to lie flat or be folded and opened at discre- 

 tion, and the other formed into a cell, and the angles written 

 upon the cardboard. A little gummed paper will hold the sides 

 together, so that the model can be handled vrithout breaking. 

 A very amusing puzzle may be formed by cutting oat the nine 

 lozenge-shaped pieces of cardboard, and by requesting that they 

 be so put together as to form the model of a bee-cell. 



We have not yet exhausted the wonders of the bee-comb. 



If we take a piece of comb from which all the cells have been 

 removed, and hold it up to the light, we shall see that the cells 

 are not placed opposite each other, but that the three lozenges 

 which form the base of one cell form part of the base of three 



