344 
BRITISH BEES. 
figures are triangles, squares, and hexagons; for the 
space about any point may be filled up either by six 
equilateral triangles, or four squares, or three hexagons; 
whereas three pentagons are too little, and three hep¬ 
tagons too much. Of these three, the bee makes use 
of the hexagon, both because it is more capacious than 
either of the others provided they be of equal compass, 
and so equal matter spent in the construction of each. 
And, secondly, because it is most commodious for the 
bee to creep into. And, lastly, because in the other 
figures more angles and sides must have met together at 
the same point, and so the work could not have been so 
firm and strong. Moreover, the combs being double, 
the cells on each side the partition are so ordered that 
the angles on one side insist upon the centres of the 
bottoms of the cells on the other side, and not angle 
upon or against angle; which also must needs contri¬ 
bute to the strength and firmness of the work.” 
Each cell therefore is in shape a hexagon, that is to 
say, a figure with six equal sides, to each of which six 
other hexagons attach, for each wall forms also one wall 
of another hexagon. The basis of each hexagonal cavity 
is of an obtuse three-sided pyramidal shape inverted, and 
consisting of three rhomboidal plates, each forming one- 
third of the basis of the three opposite cells; thus the 
edges of these three basal plates of one side support 
three lateral walls of three hexagons on the other side. 
The inverted triangular pyramid thus made by these 
three equal rhomboidal plates,form, at one extremity and 
at each pair of their posterior edges a re-entering angle, 
and at the other extremity a salient angle. From these 
edges spring the lateral w r alls of the hexagonal cell, this 
shape being superinduced by the form of the edges of 
