238 
NATURAL itlSTORY. 
ter fiibfiftence ; or elfe prefents it to the la- 
bouring bees. A bee can colleft, in one 
day, more honey than a hundred cheinifts 
could extra£l: in -a. hundred years. 
When they begin to form their hive, they 
divide into four parties : one is deputed to 
the fields, to colletf materials ; another is 
ordfred to work on thefe materials ; a third 
is left to polifh the rough work of the cells, 
and a fourth is allotted to provide fpr the la- 
bourers. There are waiters always attend- 
ing, to ferve the artizan with immediate re- 
frefhments, left he fliould be too long abfent 
from his work, by going to gather it hira- 
felf. 
So expert are thefe bees, that an honey- * 
comb, compofed of a double range of cells 
backed one againft another, and which is a 
foot long^s and fix inches broad, is completed 
in one day, fo as to contain 3000 bees. The 
cells are mofft curiouily compofed of little 
triangular fides', which unite in one point, 
and exactly conform to the like extremities 
of the oppofite cells, refpeitively. At eve^ 
ry cell, the Creator has, moft wifely, taught 
them to, form a ledge, which fortifies each 
aperture againft the injuries they might re- 
ceive from the frequent ingrefs and return of 
the bees. 
Mow grateful ought we to be for the crea- 
tion of .this admirttUI? infect ! To his toil 
and wildoin we are indebted for one of the 
moft agreeable and wholefome fubllances af- 
forded, 
