EXPERIMENTAL INQUIRY. 407 



merit when we took the hive away, were gathered in a cluster 

 at the top of the hive, in an elongated form, similar to that 

 which is seen before a hive previously to its swarming, and 

 which the French call une barbe. 



This position, which is natural, and it may be added, uni- 

 versal to the bee during the process of the construction of 

 the combs, undoubtedly gave rise to the fanciful festoons 

 and curtains of Huber, which we have already described. At 

 the time of our inspection, the new comb, white as snow, 

 measured three inches in length, but neither honey nor eggs 

 had yet been deposited in it. In order, however, that no 

 disappointment might occur in the prosecution of the ex- 

 periment, we gave the bees a slight fumigation, which 

 rendered them so tractable, that the handling of them was 

 not attended with any risk or difficulty. We now pro- 

 ceeded to examine each bee individually, lifting the abdo- 

 minal scales with a sharp pointed instrument, but not a 

 particle of wax was discernible. Impressed with the idea 

 that the advocates for the formation of wax by exudation 

 might raise the question, that in the present instance the 

 bees might have exhausted their stock of wax in their wax 

 pockets, and therefore that no reliance ought to be attached 

 to the experiment, we determined to repeat it on the follow- 

 ing day. Accordingly we again examined the hive, but 

 whether from the annoyance which the bees had received 

 on the preceding day, or from some other cause, not possible 

 to be accounted for, no further progress had been made in 

 the construction of the combs. On the third day, we again 

 examined the hive, and perceived that a considerable pro- 

 gress had been made in the comb, which had increased in 

 length an inch and a half. We also observed the foundation 

 of another comb, which circumstance furnished us with a 

 renewed opportunity of instituting an examination into the 

 nature of the substance, which forms the foundation of the 

 combs, and which is usually designated by the name of pro- 



