222 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
Huber was so pleased in discovering that the cells 
of premier rang'' obeyed all the laws of construc- 
tion, that he erroneously concluded that they were so 
formed in order that the laws of construction might 
be obeyed. Had he followed up his investigation, 
which seems since his day to have had a long slumber, 
he would have found that obstacles placed in the way 
of the bees lead to the formation of these special cells 
in any row, and in any position with regard to the 
horizon we please. It is only necessary to lift an ordi- 
nary frame of comb out of a hive, to see that the cells 
built against the frame side are constantly like to 
those Huber supposed to be found in the first row 
only ; and when by chance (and this happens frequently) 
the comb is built down in part to the bottom bar, 
we have cells again of the form under discussion, 
except that they are upside down. From this the 
inappropriateness of Huber’s title justifies the new 
name I suggest — ‘‘ attachment cells.” 
The unsuitableness of the irregular cells for brood- 
raising has been noticed in passing; yet this unsuit- 
ableness does not bar their fitness for storing honey, 
and so bees build out such to the side bars of their 
frames to stiffen their comb, and receive their store 
until they come down to the line of the brood ; but 
here (see Figs. 7, 14, and 27), since such additions 
would increase labour but not accommodation, cells 
of true form only are constructed, and these natu- 
rally stop short of the hive or frame side, as the 
case may be. The fact that bees thus attach their 
combs laterally as far down as the honey, has been 
cited times without number, and, as I take it, most 
