THE HIVE BEE. 
261 
hornet are single, and are arranged horizontally, so that their 
cells are vertical, with the mouths downwards and the bases 
upwards, the united bases forming a floor on which the nurse 
wasps can walk while feeding the young inclosed in the row of 
cells immediately above them. 
Such, however, is not the case with the Hive Bee. As every 
one knows, who has seen a bee-comb, the cells are laid nearly 
horizontally, and in a double series, just as if a couple of 
thimbles were laid on the table with the points touching each 
other and their mouths pointing in opposite directions. In- 
crease the number of thimbles, and there will be a tolerable 
imitation of a bee-comb. 
There is another point which must now be examined. If the 
bases of the cells were to be rounded like those of the thimbles, 
it is clear that they would have but little adhesion to each 
other, and that a large amount of space would be wasted. The 
simplest plan of obviating these defects is evidently to square 
off the rounded bases, and to fill up the ends of each cell with 
a hexagonal flat plat, which is actually done by the wasp. If, 
however, we look at a piece of bee-comb, we shall find that no 
such arrangement is employed, but that the bottom of each 
cell is formed into a kind of three-sided cup. Now, if we 
break away the walls of the cells, so as only to leave the bases, 
we shall see that each cup consists of three lozenge-shaped 
plates of wax, all the lozenges being exactly alike. 
These lozenge-shaped plates contain the key to the bee-cell, 
and their properties will therefore be explained at length. Before 
doing so, I must acknowledge my thanks to the Rev. Walter 
Mitchell, Vicar and Hospitaller of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 
who has long exercised his well-known methematicaf powers on 
this subject, and has kindly supplied me with the outline of the 
present history. 
If a single cell be isolated, it will be seen that the sides rise 
from the outer edges of the three lozenges above-mentioned, so 
that there are, of course, six sides, the transverse section of 
which gives a perfect hexagon. Many years ago Maraldi, being 
struck with the fact that the lozenge-shaped plates always had 
