They Haw S Tj @ RY 
to the cornua or horns of the uterus, fince 
they have neither accurately delineated nor 
exactly defcribed them. ‘The pulmonary tubes 
alfo are not reprefented acute enough by them. 
I would not however have any perfon think I 
fay this from a love of cenfure, fo far from it 
that my fole view is that the true face and dif- 
pofition of nature may be expofed to the eye. 
I with others may pafs the like cenfure where 
due on my works; nor do I pretend to doubt 
but I have committed many errors; it is fuffi- 
cient for me that Ican moft freely affert, that 
I have not wilfully defigned to miflead the 
reader in this treatife, I likewife think the fame 
of fome other, but very few authors ; for the 
defire of writing is fo prevalent now-a-days, 
that men publifh books filled only with the 
fancies of their brain,and thus mifreprefent God 
and his works ; heaven forbid that I fhould 
ever do this, truth and a religious fcrupulouf- 
nefs of mind ought every where to prevail in 
defcribing natural things, becaufe they are the 
books of the divine miracles, unlefs he who 
writes aims to deceive himfelf and others, and 
fuch a one fhould know that all things are 
revealed in time. 
Let us now return to our fubje@t. Thefe 
Worms then weave over or cover the infide 
of their cells with threads, they alfo difcharge 
their excrements into thefe cells, and there 
at the fame time, caft a thin skin and their 
old pulmonary tubes: hence if all thefe things 
be done feveral times over, that is, if in the 
cells of the fame hive, frefh eggs be laid and 
young Worms be continually hatched in a 
fucceffion for feveral years ; the cells muft ne- 
ceffarily become from time to time lefs and 
narrower, and the Bees muft be obliged to 
leave the old combs, and to build themfelves 
a more convenient edifice: the honey alfo 
that is lodged in fuch foul and dirty cells, is 
not to be called virgin honey, nor the wax of 
the combs virgin wax. Since both of them 
abound witha great deal of filth, which ought 
to be feparated before they are fit for ue. 
The honey which the common people ufe is 
very impure, for it is preffed out of wax, 
after the purer part of the honey has run out, 
and it is accordingly fold at a low price *. 
If any perfon is defirous to examine the web 
before mentioned, let him fteep only part of 
it, together with the wax adhering to it, for 
fome days in rectified fpirit of wine; thus 
the wax will fall into little lumps, and the 
web will be manifeft alone: if an entire waxen 
cell, while it is yet fealed up with its Worm 
or Nymph in it, be put into rectified {pirit 
of wine, then all the Nymph’s little body, 
which is enclofed in the web, and cannot be 
taken out of it, but by cutting the web, pre- 
of. NS Ec. ES: 181 
fents itfelf to view. This contrivance where- 
by we fteep and diffolve the wax by fteeping 
or foaking it in a proper fluid, in order to fee 
the web, has this further advantage, that one 
may by this means know very exactly how 
many times the Bees have brought up their 
progeny in the fame cell, for it is certain that 
as many webs as are found in one cell, fo 
many eggs have been hatched there. When 
the wax is thus carefully feparated from the 
web by fteeping it fo that the delicate texture 
of it is not injured, the web will then be 
found to reprefent or exprefs very beautifully 
the hexagonal figures of the cell, particularly 
in the lower part, as may be feen in Tab. 
XXV. fig. 11. under the letter g. This web 
is likewife about the bafis and angles of the 
little cell, always fomewhat thicker and blacker 
than at the upper part; being there more 
membranaceous and of a yellower colour: 
from what caufe this difference proceeds is {till 
a fecret to me. If any one defires to difcover 
very fuddenly the web fo often mentioned, 
let him make the waxen cell. boil for a mo- 
ment over the fire in fpirit of wine, or in oil 
of turpentine. If an old cell be cut open 
with a diffecting knife, we fometimes obferve 
the foundation of the cell; which is other- 
wife wonderfully thin and delicate, half as 
thick as the filver coin called an imperial, on 
account of the feveral webs, that have from 
time to time been laid on it. This condition 
of the web has impofed on fome {fo far as to 
make them believe, that every Bee builds its 
own refpective cell, for they faw that all of 
thefe webs were fevered from each other, 
when the broken wax was feparated from 
them, asone may eafily try if he fteeps or 
foaks the little cells for fome days in brandy. 
The webs are alfo of this further advantage 
to the combs, that they make them much 
firmer and ftronger, and hence one may with 
lefs danger remove and carry elfewhere the 
hives in which the Bees have engendered for 
fome time, than thofe in which the wax is 
new. Befides that the combs, ftrengthened 
with thefe webs, do not fo eafily melt in very 
hot weather, or blend together, when they 
are turned upfide down. That the filaments 
or threads of the web may come in fight 
more diftinély, there does not require much 
labour in preparing it, for if one only cuts 
off the upper part of one of the cells, which- 
is covered with wax, with fmall {ciflors or 
a fine knife, {trips it of the waxen cover, 
and then places it under the microfcope, it 
will appear moft evident, from the difpofition 
and manner wherein the threads are placed 
over one another, that the Worm of the Bee 
does in reality fpin. If an entire cell, fteeped 
* What is called rock honey in fome parts of America, is the produce of a peculiar kind of Bee, lodged in a very fingular 
manner. 
This Bee makes no reoular comb, but notwithftanding that, it preferves its honey in waxen veffels: the honey is clear 
as water, and very thin. The Bees hang their clufters of cafes to a rock ; one is firft made, and is very fecurely faftened ; then 
others are hung to that, in the manner of grapes in a bunch. Thefe cells or cafes are larger than the biggeft grapes, and ofan 
oval fhape; each has at firft an aperture at the upper part, in which the Bee puts the honey ; 
ture : forty of thefe cafes will fometimes hang together, 
when it is full they clofe this aper- 
and the honey is excellent, and in large quantity. 
Aaa or 
