HIVE-BEES. 129 



and flexible wax gave rise to a projection, which 

 sometimes caused a breach of the partition. This, 

 however, was soon repaired, but a slight prominence 

 always remained on the opposite surface, to the right 

 and left of which they placed themselves, to begin a 

 new excavation ; and they heaped up part of the 

 materials between the two flutiiigs formed by their 

 labour. The ridge thus formed becomes a guide to 

 the direction which the bees are to follow for the 

 vertical furrow of the front cell. 



We have already seen that the first cell determines 

 the place of all that succeed it, and two of these are 

 never in ordinary circumstances begun in different 

 parts of the hive at the same time, as is alleged by 

 some earlier writers. When some rows of cells, 

 however, have been completed in the first comb, two 

 other foundation walls are begun, one on each side of 

 it, at the exact distance of one-third of an inch, which 

 is sufficient to allow two bees employed on the op- 

 posite cells to pass each other without jostling. These 

 new walls are also parallel to the former ; and two 

 more are afterwards begun exterior to the second, 

 and at the same parallel distance. The combs are 

 uniformly enlarged, and lengthened in a progression 

 proportioned to the priority of their origin ; the 

 middle comb being always advanced beyond the two 

 adjoining ones by several rows of cells, and these 

 again beyond the ones exterior to them. Did the 

 bees lay the foundations of all their combs at the 

 same time, they would not find it easy to preserve 

 parallelism and an equality in their distances. It may 

 be remarked further, that beside the vacancies of 

 half an inch between the cells, which form what we 

 may call the highways of the community, the combs 

 are pierced in several places with holes, which serve 

 as postern-gates for easy communication from one to 

 another, to prevent loss of time in going round. The 



