The Life of the Bee 



desire is merely to contrive round cells 

 in the wax ; only, that as their neighbours, 

 and those at work on the opposite side of 

 the comb, are digging at the same mo- 

 ment and with the same intentions, the 

 points where the cells meet must of neces- 

 sity become hexagonal. Besides, it is 

 said, this is precisely what happens to 

 crystals, the scales of certain kinds of fish, 

 soap-bubbles, etc., as it happens in the 

 following experiment that Buifon sug- 

 gested. " If," he said, " you fill a dish 

 with peas or any other cylindrical bean, 

 pour as much water into it as the space 

 between the beans will allow, close it care- 

 fully and then boil the water, you will 

 find that all these cylinders have become 

 six-sided columns. And the reason is 

 evident, being indeed purely mechanical ; 

 each of the cylindrical beans tends, as it 

 swells, to occupy the utmost possible 

 space within a given space ; wherefore it 

 197 



