34 THE BUILDING OF THE CITY 



being a kind of fatty exudation taking place in 

 special organs. Then the combs of the bee are 

 hung perpendicularly, the entrances to the cells 

 being from the side. They are, moreover, so 

 arranged as to effect a very great economy of 

 space, being double, so that the base of one cell 

 lies at the point where the three sides of the 

 opposite cells meet. Wasps' combs, although 

 made of hexagonal cells, are built horizontally, 

 and the entrance is underneath, the top being 

 quite flat and forming a platform upon which 

 pillars of wood-pulp are reared to support 

 another row of cells built in like manner. 



It is, I think, generally conceded that the bee 

 has made the farthest advance. There would 

 appear to be very little room for improvement in 

 the direction of economy, the structure of the 

 comb having been admitted by mathematicians 

 to be the most perfect that could be devised to 

 »ecure strength with economy of space and 

 material. Any other form would involve either 

 more space, more material, or a weakening of the 

 itructure. 



In the last chapter we left the swarm hanging 

 to the roof of its new domicile. Having satisfied 

 themselves that the roof is quite firm, the bees 

 commence operations. Although I shall describe 

 in succession several proceedings, it must be 

 understood that many of them take place at the 

 same time, the work being divided up amongst 



