" The tnaterials of their dwelling or comb, which is the wax is the next con sideration, with the mocie of fbrming, pre paring, or disposing. of it. In giving a totally- new account of the wax, I shall first shcw it can hardly be what it has been supposed to be First, I shall ob serve that the materials, as they are found co,nposing the comb, are not to be found in ill,- same state (as a composition) in any vegetable,where they have been supposed to be got. The substance brought in on the legs, which is the farina of the flow ers of plants, is, in common, I believe, imagined to be the materials of which the wax is made, for it is called by most the WaX : but it is the farina, for it is al ways of the same colour as the farina of the flower where they are gathering ; and indeed, we see them gathering it, and we also see them covered almost all over with it like a dust ; nevertheless, it has been supposed to be the wax, or that the wax was extracted from it. Reatimur is of this opinion. I made several experiments, to see if there was such a quantity of oil in it as would acconnt for the quantity of wax to be formed, and to learn if it was composed of oil. I held it near the can dle, it burnt, but it did not smell like wax, and had the same smell, when burn ing, as farina when it was burnt. I ob served that this substance was of different colours on different bees, but always of the same colour on both legs of the same bee ; whereas a new made comb was all of one colour. I observed that it was gathered with more avidity for old hives, where the comb is complete, than for those hives where it only begun, which we could hardly con.ceive, if it was the ma terials of wax : also we may observe, that, at the very. beginning of a hive, the bees seldom bring in any substance on their legs for two or three days, and after that as a store, and some eggs are laid, which, when hatched, will require this substance as food, and which will be ready when the weather is wet.
" The wax is formed by the bees them selves ; it may be called an external se cretion of oil, and I have found that it is formed between each scale of the under side of the belly. When I first observed this substance, in my examination of the working bee, I was at a loss to say what it was : I asked myself if it was new scales forming, and whether they cast the old, as the lobster, Ecc. does ? but it was to be found only between the scales on the lower side of the belly. On examining the bees through glass hives, while they were climbing up the glass, I could see that most of them had this substance, for it looked as if the lower or posterior edge of the scale ,was' double, or that there were double scales : but I perceived it was loose, not attached. Finding that the substance brought in on their legs was farina, intended, as appeared from every circumstance, to be the food of the mag got, and not to make wax, and not hav ing yet perceived any thing that could give me the least idea of' wax, I conceived these scales might be it, at least I thought it necessary to investigate them. I there fore took several on the point of a needle, and held them to a candle, wbere they melted, and immediately formed them selves into round globules; upon which I no longer doubted but this was the wax, which opinion was confirmed to me by not finding those scales but in the building season.
" The cells, or rather the congeries of cells, which compose the ccmth, may be said to form perpendicular plates, or partitions, which extend from top to bottom of the cavity in which they build them, and from side to side. They always
begin at the top or roof of the vault in which they build, and work downwards : but if the upper part of this vault to which their combs are fixed is removed, and a dome is put over, they begin at the (peel- edge of the old comb, and work up into the new cavity at the top. They generally may be guided, as to the direc tion of their new plates of comb, by forming ridges at top, to which they be gin to attach their comb. In a long hive, if these ridges are longitudinal, their plates of comb will be longitudinal: if placed transverse, so will be the plates ; and if oblique, the plates of comb will be vblique. Each plate consists of a double set of cells, whose bottoms form the par tition between each set. The plates themselves are not very regularly ar ranged, not forming a regular plane where the) inight have done so; but are often adapted to the situation or shape of the cavity in which they are built. The bees do not endeavour to shape their cavity to their work, as the witsps do, nor are the cells of equal depths, also fitting them to their situation ; but as the breeding cells must all be of a given depth, they reserve a sufficient number for breeding in, and they put the honey into the others, as also into the shallow ones. The attachment of the comb round the cavity is not cdn tinued, but interrupted so as to form pas sages ; there are also passages in the mid dle of the plates, especially' if there be a cross stick to support the comb ; these allow of bees to go across from plate to plate. The substance which they use for attaching their combs to surrounding parts is not the same as the common wax ; it is softer and tougher, a good deal like the substance with which they cover in their crysalis, or the humble-bee sur rounds lier eggs. It is probably a mix ture of wax with farina. The cells are placed nearly horizontally, but not exact ly so; •the mouth raised a little, which probably may be to retain the honey the better ; however, this rule is not strictly obsemed, for often they are horizontal, and towards the lower edge of a plane of comb they are often declining. The first combs that a hive forms are the smallest, and much neater than the last or lower most. Their sides or partitions, between cell and cell, are much thinner, and the hexagon is much more perfect. The wax is purer, being probably little else but wax, and it is more brittle. The lower combs are considerably larger, and con tain much more wax, or perhaps,more pro perly, more materials ; and the cells are at such distances as to allow them to be of a round figure : the wax is softer, and there is something mixed with it. I have observ ed that the cells are not all of equal size, some being a degree larger than the others; and that the small arc the first formed, and of course at the upper part, where the bees begin, and the larger are nearer the lower part of the comb, or last made : however, in hives of particu lar construction, where the bees may be gin to work at one end, and can work both down and towards the other end, we of ten find the larger cells both on the lower part of the combs, and also at the oppo site end. These are formed for the males to be bred tit ; and its the hornets and wasps combs there are larger cells,. for the queens to be bred in : these are also formed in the lower tier, and the last foliated.