114 
ARCHITECTURE OF BEES. 
given space ; they become, therefore, necessarily 
hexagous by reciprocal compression. In like man- 
ner, every bee seeks to occupy the greatest possible 
room in a given space ; it is therefore necessary here 
also, since the body of the bee is cylindrical, that 
their cells should be cylindrical, by reason of the same 
reciprocal compression.” 
To this reasoning it may he answered, that there 
is no analogy between the cases. A hive without 
comb, as Lombard argues, is not above one- fourth 
filled with bees ; and there is no cover, as in the case 
of the vessel, to keep the mass together. To make 
the cases perfectly similar, and fit subjects of com- 
parison, the vessel with water ought to be filled but to 
the extent of one-fourth ; and in that case, the cylin- 
drical seeds will not be converted into hexagons. 
Besides, the cells at the extremities of the combs, 
though not so deep as those at the centre, are as 
exactly hexagonal in their forms. Now, if hexagons 
are formed by the reciprocal impression of the bodies 
of the bees against each other, how does it happen 
that the cells at the extremities, which are not attached 
to the sides or bottom of the hive, and where, con- 
sequently, there can be no reciprocal compression, 
should yet be as perfect hexagons as the rest? And, 
not to dwell on other proofs adduced by Lombard 
and other writers, of the utter insignificancy of this 
naturalist’s theory — the cells have not all the same 
figure, the same dimensions, depth, and diameter, 
which they would necessarily have, if they had been 
produced merely by reciprocal compression. No; 
