220 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING, 
SO altered that they, too, secure the highest possible 
rigidity, and in the following manner. The two lateral 
rhombs (r, r) are carried upwards to the top bar, 
ceasing to be rhombs, and becoming trapezoids. 
These have a much less inclination from the per- 
pendicular than the lower rhomb, /r (see footnote, 
page 200), and even this inclination is reduced by 
the relative positions of the bees modelling them 
on opposite faces of the comb ; while, from a 
reason before given, they are thickened at their 
upper edges. 
The full beauty of these adaptations cannot be 
seen without studying both faces of the comb and 
noting how they are related to each other ; and, 
probably, many are unaware that, while all cells 
(save the attachment cells) on one face of the comb 
may be alike, they must, of necessity, differ from 
all those of the opposite face. In dealing with this 
matter, although neither face can rightly be regarded 
as front or back, it will be a convenience to follow 
Huber, and call them anterior and posterior respec- 
tively. If A (Fig. 66 ) represent the posterior face 
of a piece of comb naturally built to a top bar 
B will be the form of the anterior face of the same 
piece, which comparison shows to differ from A in 
almost every particular. The attachment cells, it is 
true, have, in both, the same beautiful adaptation of 
their sides, previously noticed, but the bases of those 
of the posterior face contain but two trapezoids each 
instead of two and a rhomb, and these are not 
paired, as are those of the anterior face. Trapezoids 
I and 2, belong to one cell in A, and to two 
