THE JIONEY-BEE. 
1 25 
many, still the credit of being what is called “ crude 
wax." BufFon was of this opinion, and, in an edition 
of his works published so late as 1821, no notice is 
taken of the recent discoveries on the subject which 
prove his opinion to be erroneous. Reaumur was 
inclined to believe that pollen, by receiving some pe- 
culiar elaboration from the bees, was converted in the 
stomach to real wax, and disgorged under the ap- 
pearance of paste. Later observers, however, denied 
that wax was disgorged by the mouth ; they affirmed 
that it exudes from the rings of the abdomen in the 
form of small scales, and that pollen was used for very 
different purposes. That this last mentioned substance 
is not the prime constituent of wax was a conclusion 
drawn from repeated and accurate observations. It 
had been observed, for instance, that pollen is carried 
in great quantities into hives which are already full 
of comb, — that it is often of various colours, while new 
combs are always of a pure white, — that fresh swarms 
for some days carry no pollen, although their first ope- 
ration after being housed is the construction of combs, 
the building of which goes on with unremitted rapidi- 
ty, — and that while it has been calculated that 100 
pounds weight of pollen is carried into a hive during 
the season, the whole wax of a hive, when separated 
from the honey, weighssomethingless than two pounds. 
On the other hand, the evidence is strong that wax 
derives its origin from honey. It is observed that 
seasons unproductive in honey are also unproductive 
in wax, although pollen is at the same time abundant, 
— that, by the accurate dissections of John Hunter, 
