WAX. 



and quite dillina from the wax. Meffrs. Hiiber have not 

 only eftabliihed this important faft, but deteded the origin 

 of the propolis itfelf. Having obtained branches of the 

 wild poplar, cut in fpring before the developement of their 

 leaves, with very large buds filled with vifcous, reddilh, and 

 odorous juice, they placed thefe in the way of the bees to 

 the fields, fo that they muft fee them : foon after this ar- 

 rangement, a bee alighted on one of the branches, and ap- 

 proached one of the largeft buds ; (he then feparated its 

 folds with her teeth, attacked the parts which file had half- 

 opened, pulled off filaments of the vifcid matter with which 

 they were filled, and then feized, with one of the legs of 

 the fecond pair, the fubftance held between her jaws, 

 brought forwards one of her hind-legs, and finally placed in 

 the bafl<et of that leg the little ball of propolis which file 

 had jull coUefted. Having accomplillied this objeft, (he 

 again opened the bud in another place, carried off new 

 threads of the fame matter with her teeth, laid hold of them 

 with the legs of the fecond pair, and placed them nicely on 

 the other balket. She then took her departure, and re- 

 joined her hive. In a few minutes afterwards, a fecond bee 

 alighted on the fame branches, and loaded herfelf with pro- 

 polis in the fame manner. This propolis was found to be 

 different from the matter which imparts the yellow colour 

 to the wax, which is probably fecreted in the cavity of the 

 teeth, and depofited on the wax. We obferve, however, 

 that bees are not contented with merely painting and var- 

 ni(hing their cells, but they alfo impart additional folidity 

 to their aggregate amount by the ufe of a mortar, com- 

 pofed of wax and propolis ; and which the ancients, who had 

 not overlooked this department of their economy, termed 

 Bufis, or ptffocerum. (oee Pkopolis.) With the ne- 

 cefTary documents before us, we cannot forbear intro- 

 ducing fome further obfervations on the economy of thefe 

 infetts, though they are not immediately connefted with the 

 fubjeft of this article. As the clofenefs of a hive, and the 

 multitude of living creatures which inhabit it, (amounting 

 fometimes to twenty-five or thirty thoufand,) are circum- 

 ftances which feem to preclude a free ventilation and re- 

 newal of air, we might be induced to fuppofe that bees are not 

 endowed with any particular fyftem of refpiratory organs, 

 and that they are capable of exifting in any atmofphere, how- 

 ever vitiated. As a teft of this fuppofition, our ingenious 

 and perfevering authors recurred to various experiments ; 

 which inconteftibly prove, that thefe infefts cannot long 

 exift either in vacuo, or in air that is contaminated by noxious 

 gafes ; that, in fhort, they breathe hke other animals of their 

 clafs ; and that they are fpeedily deprived of life if the pro- 

 ccfs of refpiratibn be arrefied. Yet it refults, from eudio- 

 metrical trials, that the air of a well-ftocked hive is equally 

 pure with that of the atmofphere. It has been afcertained, 

 too, that neither wax nor pollen favours the produftion of 

 oxygen gas, and that the bees themfelves have no internal 

 faculty of generating vital air ; fince, if that of the atmo- 

 fphere be entirely excluded, they are obferved to perilh in 

 the courfe of a few hours. Our authors, therefore, took an 

 opportnnity of examining, whether the indiiftry of thefe in- 

 fefts prefented no particular caufe of this phenomenon ; and 

 at length they were ftruck by the conneftion which might 

 fubfift between the circulation of the air and that beating of 

 the wings which they had recently obferved, and which occa- 

 fioned a continual humming in the interior of their habit- 

 ation. They fufpefted that the play of thefe membranes, 

 which imprefs the air with fufficient force to elicit from it a 

 very diftinft found, might be deftined to replace that which 

 had been vitiated by refpiration. Although this may feem 

 to be a trivial caufe for counterailing the pernicious effeft 



above ftated, yet by putting the hand near to a fanning- 

 bee, we (hall perceive that (he agitates the air in a manner 

 that is very fenfible, and moves her wings with fuch rapidity 

 as that they are fcarcely diftinguifhable. 



United at their edge by means of fmall hooks, the two 

 wings of each fide prefent a larger furface to the air, on 

 which they have to ilrike ; they form, befides, a flight con- 

 cavity, which (hould fomewliat contribute to increafe their 

 energy ; and we may be fatisfied that they defcribe an arc 

 of 90°, becaufe we fee them, fimultaneoufly, on the two ex- 

 tremes of their vibrations. When engaged in this exercife, 

 the bees cling faft to the (land with their legs, the fird ■ 

 pair being projefted forwards, the fecond feparated and. 

 fixed to the right and left of the body, while the third, 

 clofely approximated, and in a direftion perpendicular to 

 the abdomen, contributes to fupport the hinder parts in an 

 elevated pofition. During the fine feafoii, we may alway, 

 obferve a certain number of bees agitating their wings ip. 

 front of the entrance to their hive ; but we may alfo be con- 

 vinced, by infpeftion, that flill more of them are employed 

 in fanning within their dwelling. The ordinary Ration of 

 the ventilating bees is on the lower floor of the hive. All 

 thofe which are occupied in this way, on the outfide, have 

 their heads turned towards the entrance, but thofe within 

 prefent their backs to it. Thefe bees feem to arrange them- 

 felves methodically, fo that they may manage the ventilating 

 procefs with the greateft eafe ; being diftributed into files, 

 which terminate at the entrance of the hive, and are fome- 

 times difpofed like fo many diverging rays ; but this order 

 is not uniform : and it is probably owing to the neceffity to 

 which the fanning bees are fubjefted of leaving room for 

 fuch as go and come, whofe rapid courfe conftrains them to 

 form in file, that they may avoid being joftled and over- 

 turned at every inftant. More than 20 bees may fometimes 

 be feen ventilating in the lower part of the hive ; but their 

 number at other times is fmaller ; and each of them vibrates 

 her wings for a longer or (horter period. They have been 

 obferved to continue the exertion during 25 minutes, with- 

 out retting ; although they feemed occafionally to take 

 breath by fufpending the vibration of their wings for an al- 

 moft imperceptible inftant ; but, as foon as they ceafe from 

 fanning, others take their place, fo that the humming noife 

 in a well-filled hive never fuffers interruption. 



But to return from this digreffion to the principal fubjeft 

 of the article. 



Bees'-'wax makes a very confiderable article in commerce ; 

 the confumption of it throughout the feveral parts of Eu- 

 rope being incredible. There are two kinds, white and yel- 

 lotv ; the yellow is the native wax, juft as it comes out of 

 the hive, after exprefling the honey, &c. This colour, fays 

 Thorley, is owing to the age of the combs, and breath of 

 the bees ; wax, he fays, both as it is gathered, and wrought 

 into combs, being always white : the white is the fame 

 wax, only purified, wa(hed, and expofed to the air. The 

 preparation of each follows. 



Wax, Tellom. To procure the wax from the combs for 

 ufe ; after feparating the honey from them as much as pof- 

 fible by the prefs, they are either foaked for fome days in 

 clear water, in order to extraft all the honey, or they are 

 broken into pieces, and fpread on a fheet near the hives, fo 

 that the bees in time fuck out all the honey that is left, and 

 reduce the wax into fmall fragments like bran. Then the 

 whole of the wax is put into a large kettle, with a fufficient 

 quantity of water ; and with a moderate fire, it is melted, 

 and then ftrained through a linen cloth, by a prefs, and thus 

 freed from all remaining impurity. Before it is cold, they 

 fcum it with a tile, or a piece of wet wood, and caft it, 



while 



