HIVE-BEES. 133 



the tendency to symmetry, observable in the archi- 

 tecture of bees, does not hold so much in small de- 

 tails as in the whole work, because they are some- 

 times obliged to adapt themselves to particular loca- 

 lities. One irregularity leads on to another, and it 

 commonly arises from mere accident, or from design 

 on the part of the proprietor of the bees. By allow- 

 ing, for instance, too little interval between the spars 

 for receiving the foundation of the combs, the struc- 

 ture has been continued in a particular direction. 

 The bees did not at first appear to be sensible of the 

 defect, though they afterwards began to suspect their 

 error, and were then observed to change their line of 

 work till they gained the customary distance. The 

 cells having been by this change of direction in some 

 degree curved, the new ones which were commenced 

 on each side of it, by being built every where parallel 

 to it, partook of the same curvature. But the bees 

 did not relish such approaches to the " line of beauty," 

 and exerted themselves to bring their buildings again 

 into the regular form. 



In consequence of several irregularities which they 

 wished to correct, the younger Huber has seen bees 

 depart from their usual practice, and at once lay on 

 a spar two foundation walls not in the same line. 

 They could consequently neither be enlarged without 

 obstructing both, nor from their position could the 

 edges unite had they been prolonged. The little 

 architects, however, had recourse to a very ingenious 

 contrivance : they curved the edges of the two combs, 

 and brought them to unite so neatly that they could 

 be both prolonged in the same line with ease ; and 

 when carried to some little distance, their surface 

 became quite uniform and level. 



" Having seen bees," says the elder Huber, " work 

 both up and down, I wished to try to investigate 

 whether we could compel them to construct their 



