THE COMB-BUILDERS 213 
comb, but are grouped together in large blocks. 
Some of-the combs will be entirely composed of 
worker-cells, which are always in the vast majority; 
other combs will be made up of both kinds. 
The bees begin a comb by attaching a small 
block of wax to the roof of the hive. On either 
side of this they hollow out depressions, which 
become the bases of the first cells. The work is 
then extended downwards and sideways, the cell- 
bases being multiplied in all directions as fast as 
possible, so that there are a great number of un- 
finished cells in progress long before the walls of 
the first cells have been completed. There is a 
very reasonable motive for this procedure. When 
a house is being built, as much of the foundations 
as possible are laid in at the commencement, to 
allow a large body of bricklayers to get to work 
on the walls at the same time; and the bee extends 
her comb-foundations on the same principle. 
When about half the comb has been finished for 
worker-brood, it may be decided to commence 
building drone-cells. As the bases of the drone- 
cells are larger than those of the worker-cells, it 
follows that a change must be effected in the 
ground-plan of the comb, The bees prepare for 
this transition very cleverly, evidently studying how 
the regularity of the comb may be least interrupted. 
Sometimes the change is contrived without any 
appreciable loss of space, but more often several 
misshapen cells have to be made before the sym- 
