122 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



angles has also been said to facilitate the construction 

 of the cells. 



M. Huber adds to these remarks, that the cells of 

 the first row, by which the whole comb is attached 

 to the roof of a hive, are not like the rest ; for 

 instead of six sides they have only five, of which the 

 roof forms one. The base, also, is in these different, 

 consisting of three pieces on the face of the comb, 

 and on the other side of two : one of these only is 

 diamond-shaped, while the other two are of an irre- 

 gular four-sided figure. This arrangement, by bring- 

 ing the greatest number of points in contact with the 

 interior surface, ensures the stability of the comb. 



Arrangement of Cells. 



It may, however, be said not to be quite certain, 

 that Reaumur and others have not ascribed to bees 

 the merit of ingenious mathematical contrivance and 

 selection, when the construction of the cells may more 

 probably originate in the form of their mandibles and 

 other instruments employed in their operations. In 

 the case of other insects, we have, both in the preced- 

 ing and subsequent pages of this volume, repeatedly 

 noticed, that they use their bodies, or parts thereof, 

 as the standards of measurement and modelling; and 

 it is not impossible that bees may proceed on a 

 similar principle, M, Huber replies to this objection, 



