148 Mr. Hunter's Observations on Bees . 
done so ; but are often adapted to the situation, or shape of the 
cavity in which they are built. The bees do not endeavour to 
shape their cavity to their work, as the wasps do, nor are the cells 
of equal depths, also fitting them to their situation ; but as the 
breeding cells must all be of a given depth, they reserve a suf- 
ficient number for breeding in, and they put the honey into 
the others, as also into the shallow ones. The attachment of 
the comb round the cavity is not continued, but interrupted, 
so as to form passages ; there are also passages in the middle of 
the plates, especially if there be a cross stick to support the comb; 
these allow of bees to go across from plate to plate. The sub- 
stance which they use for attaching their combs to surrounding 
parts is not the same as the common wax ; it is softer and 
tougher, a good deal like the substance with which they cover in 
their chrysalis, or the humble bee surrounds her eggs. It is pro- 
bably a mixture of wax with farina. The cells are placed nearly 
horizontally, but not exactly so ; the mouth raised a little, which 
probably may be to retain the honey the better ; however this 
rule is not strictly observed, for often they are horizontal, and 
towards the lower edge of a plane of comb they are often de- 
clining. The first combs that a hive forms are the smallest, 
and much neater than the last, or lowermost. Their sides, 
or partitions between cell and cell, are much thinner, and the 
hexagon is much more perfect. The wax is purer, being 
probably little else but wax, and it is more brittle. The lower 
combs are considerably larger, and contain much more wax, or 
perhaps, more properly, more materials ; and the cells are 
at such distances as to allow them to be of a round figure : the 
wax is softer, and there is something mixed with it. I have 
observed that the cells are not all of equal size, some being a 
