NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HONEY BEE. 49 



which is paler and somewhat concave." The cap of the 

 brood cell appears to be made of a mixture of bee-bread 

 and wax ; it is not air tight as it would be if made of wax 

 alone ; but appears, under the microscope, to be full of fine 

 holes through which the inclosed insect can have air for all 

 necessary purposes. From its texture and shape it is easily 

 thrust off by the bee when mature, whe^jeas, if it consisted 

 wholly of wax, the insect would either perish for lack of air, 

 or be unable to force its way into the world. Both the ma- 

 terial and shape of the lids which seal up the honey cells 

 are different, because an entirely different object was aimed 

 at ; they are of pure wax to make them air tight, and thus 

 prevent the honey from souring or candying in the cells ; 

 and are slightly concave or hollowed inwards, to give them 

 greater strength to resist the pressure of their contents. 



To return to Bevan. " The larva is no sooner perfectly 

 inclosed than it begins to line the cell by spinning round 

 itself, after the manner of the silk worm, a whitish silky 

 film or cocoon, by which it is encased, as it were, in a pod. 

 When it has undergone this change, it has usually borne the 

 name of nymph or pupa. It has now attained its full growth, 

 and the large amount of nutriment which it has taken serves 

 as a store for developing the perfect insect." 



" The working bee nymph spins its cocoon in thirty-six 

 hours. After passing about three days in this state of pre- 

 paration for a new existence, it gradually undergoes so great 

 a change as not to wear a vestige of its previous form." 

 ■ " When it has reached the twenty-first day of its exist- 

 ence, counting from the time the egg is laid, it comes forth 

 a perfect winged insect. The cocoon is left behind, and 

 forms a closely attached and exact lining to the cell in which 

 it was spun ; by this means the breeding cells become 

 smaller and their partitions stronger, the oftener they change 

 5 



