62 THE HONEY-BEE. 



fore-feet, and giving to them a more upright form. 

 More than twenty bees successively employ them- 

 selves in this work. 



" When arrived at a certain point, other bees begin 

 on the yet untouched and opposite side of the mass, 

 and commencing the bottom of two cells, are in turn 

 relieved by others. While still engaged in this 

 labour the wax-makers return, and add to the mass, 

 augmenting its extent in every way, the builders 

 again continuing their operations. After having 

 worked the bottom of the cells of the first row into 

 their proper forms, they polish them, and give theni, 

 their finish, while others begin the outline of a new 

 series. 



" The cells themselves, or prisms, which result from 

 the reunion and meeting of the sides, are next 

 constructed. These are engrafted on the borders of 

 the cavities hollowed in the mass. The bees begin 

 them by making the contour of the bottoms, which 

 is at first unequal, of equal height. Thus all the 

 margins of the cells offer an uniformly level surface 

 from their first origin, and until they have acquired 

 their proper length. The sides are heightened in an 

 order analogous to that which the insects follow in 

 finishing the bottom of the cells, and the length of 

 these tubes is so perfectly proportioned that there is 

 no observable inequality between them." 



Thus writes the great Swiss observer of bees. 

 Without quoting at greater length from his pub- 

 lished observations, we may give some additional 

 particulars relating to the geometrical characters of 

 honey-comb. 



