88 
RESPIRATION OF BEES. 
and laborious. Its entrance, which is 
constantly very restricted, and often 
obstructed by crowds of b ees depart¬ 
ing and arriving during the heats of 
summer, is the only opening admit- 
ting the air: yet it is sufficient for 
their exigencies. The hive, besides 
being internally plastered over with 
wax and propolis by its inhabitants, 
and closed op with lime by the cul¬ 
tivator, has none of the conditions ne¬ 
cessary for preserving a current of na¬ 
tural air. 
If a lighted taper be placed in a 
vessel of equal capacity as a hive 
with an aperture larger in proporti¬ 
on, the flame grows pale in a few 
