APIS. 
belly. When I first observed this substance, 
in my examination of the working bee, I 
was at a loss to say what it was : I asked 
myself if it was new scales forming, and 
whether they cast the old, as the lobster, 
&c. does? but it was to be found only be- 
tween the scales on the lower side of the 
belly. On examining the bees through glass 
hives, while they were climbing up the 
glass, I could see that most of them had this 
substance, for it looked as if the lower, or 
posterior edge of the scale, was double, or 
that there were double scales : but I per- 
ceived it was loose, not attached. Finding 
that the substance brought in on their legs 
was farina, intended, as appeared from every 
circumstance, to be the food of the maggot, 
and not to make wax ; and not having yet 
perceived any thing that could give me the 
least idea of wax, I conceived these scales 
might be it, at least I thought it necessary 
to investigate them. I therefore took 
several on the point of a needle, and held 
them to a candle, where they melted, and 
immediately formed themselves into round 
globules ; upon which I no longer doubted 
but this was the wax, which opinion was 
confirmed to me by not finding those scales 
but in the building season. 
“The cells, or rather the congeries of 
cells, which compose the comb, may be said 
to form perpendicular plates, or partitions, 
which extend from top to bottom of the 
cavity in which they build them, and from 
side to side. They always begin at the top 
or roof of the vault, in which they build, 
and work downwards; but if the upper part 
of this vault to which their combs are fixed, 
is removed, and a dome is put over, they 
begin at the upper edge of the old comb, 
and work up into the new cavity at the top. 
They generally may be guided as to the 
direction of their new' plates of comb, by 
forming ridges at top, to which they begin 
to attach their comb. In a long hive, if 
these ridges are longitudinal, their plates of 
comb will be longitudinal ; if placed trans- 
verse, so will be the plates ; and if oblique, 
the plates of comb will be oblique. Each 
plate consists of a double set of cells, whose 
bottoms form the partition between each 
set. The plates themselves are not very 
regularly arranged, not forming a regular 
plane where they might have done so; biit 
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 W'asps do, nor are the 
cells of equal depths, also fitting them to 
their situation; but as the breeding cell# 
must all be of a given depth, they reserve a 
sufficient 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 sup- 
port the comb ; these allow of bees to go 
across from plate to plate. The substance 
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 probably a 
mixture of wax with farina. The cells are 
placed nearly horizontally, but not exactly 
so; the mouth raised a little, which pro- 
bably may be to retain the honey the bet- 
ter ; however, this rule is not strictly observ- 
ed, for often they are horizontal, and to- 
wards the lower edge of a plane of comb 
they are often declining. The first combs 
that a hive forms are the smallest, and much 
neater fhan 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 pro- 
bably little else but wax, and it is more 
brittle. The lower combs are considerably 
larger, and contain much more wax, or per- 
haps, 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 degree larger than 
the Others ; and that the small are the first 
formed, and of course at the upper part, 
where the bees begin, and the larger are 
nearer the low'er part of the comb, or 
last made : however, in hives of particular 
construction, where the bees may begin to 
work at one end, and can work both down 
and towards the other end, we often find 
the larger cells both on the lower part of 
the Combs, and also at the opposite end. 
These are formed for the males to be bred 
in ; and in the hornets and wasps combs 
there are larger cells for the queens to be 
bred in : these are also formed in the lower 
tier, and the last formed. 
“ The first comb made in a hive is all of 
one colour, viz. almost white; but is not so 
white towards the end of the season, having 
then more of a yellow cast. 
“ There is a cell which is called the royal 
