336 SHAPE OF THE CELLS. 



architectural skill of the edifice of the bees ; for were not 

 the cell furnished with this border, it would not retain the 

 honey. As it has a slight projection over the cell, it can 

 be entirely filled with honey, which on taking the convex 

 form is covered over with a pellicle of wax, that prevents 

 the admission of all air, enables the bees to march over the 

 combs without injuring them, and protects the honey from 

 all humidity. 



In regard to the number of cells which are in progress of 

 construction at the same time, it is impossible to fix upon 

 the precise one ; and as each comb is composed of a double 

 row of cells formed on a common base, it follows of course 

 that the works must progress equally on both sides, or in 

 a very short time, they would become irregular and de- 

 formed. A space is always left between the combs suffi- 

 ciently wide to admit the passage of two bees, and some 

 persons have pretended to see channels or streets passing 

 horizontally through the combs ; but we never yet observed 

 any interruption in the construction of a comb that was 

 not caused by some artificial obstruction, which the bees 

 could not surmount. 



The shape of the cells of the bees is a perfect hexagon, 

 with the exception of the drone cells, the figure of which 

 is not wholly regular. The figure of the base is a triangle 

 formed of three equilateral lozenges, the four angles of 

 which are so nicely adjusted, that any other lozenge, com- 

 posed of any other shape, would not yield the same ad- 

 vantage. Samuel Konig, who lived about the middle of 

 the last century, but whose works were not published until 

 after his death, made use of the analysis of infinite units 

 to solve this problem, which was proposed to him by Mr. 

 Reaumur, and, after the most elaborate calculations, he ar- 

 rived after all at the mere result furnished him by the bees. 



The thickness of the combs varies according to the pur- 

 pose to which it is to be applied. The combs destined for 



