HONEY comb, a waxen structure full of cells, frafned by the bees, to deposit their honey and eggs in. The construction of the honey-comb seems one of the most surprising part of the works of•insects, and the materials of which it is composed, which, though evidently collected from the flowers of plants, yet do not, that we know of; exist in them in that form, has great cause of to the curious. The origin and formation of the wax has been lately discovered. It is se creted by the peculiarorganization.of the insect, in the forin of small and thin oval scales, in the- incisures or folds of the ab domen. The regular structure of the comb is also equally wonderful. When the. several cells in it are examined, it should seem that the nicest rules of geo metry had' been consulted for its compo sition, and all the advantages that could be wished or desired in a thing of that kind are evidently found in it. Each cell consists of six plane sides, which are all trapeziums, bin equal to each other : the bottom of the cell is contrived with three rhombuses, So disposed as to constitute a solid angle Under three equal angles, and each of which is double the maximum angle of 54° 44'. Hence it comes to pass, that a less quantity of surface is sufficient to contain a given quantity of honey than if the bottom had been, flat, in -the pro portion of 4,658 to 5,50 as been found by calculation ;-- that-is, nearly a fifth of ;the whole, so far as the figure in the end of the cells extends in each : which fifth part of wax and labour saved amounts to a vast deal in the whole comb. And if these'admirable insects knew their, they could not more nicely Observe the rules of modern geometry.
The method of making two sorts- of, cells in.each comb is also admirably con trived to save the expense of wax ; since had they been made single, every corn must have had its peculiar base, and eve ry se; of cells their bottom ofwax,where as one bottom serves now for two cells ; and there is but one plate of wax in the centre of a double comb. This structure occasions a very great sparing of the wax, or matter of the comb ; but besides this, there is another great advantage. result
ing from this structure, which is, that the angles, arising from the forementioned combination of the bases greatly strength en the whole work.
.. The sides of the cells are all much thin ner than the finest paper; and yet they ? are so.strengthened by their disposition, that they are able to resist' all the tions of the bee within them, as they are frequently obliged to be. The effect of their thrusting their bodies into the cells would be the bursting of those cells the top, Were well guarded a- 1 gainst.. But to 'prevent this, the creatures' extend a cord, or roll of wax, round tli verge of every cell, in such a'. manse. that it is scarce possible they -should sp ' in that particular part. This cord or ro is 'at least three times as thick as tfc' sides of the cell, and is even much thick er and stronger at the angles of the cells than elsewhere, so that the aperture of each cell is not regularly hexagonal, though its inner cavity be perfectly so. The several combs are all placed parallel to one another, and there is such a space left between them, that the bees can easi ly paSs ; and often they place a part of the comb in a contrary direction to the rat, so that while the others are placed horizontally, these stand perpendicularly. The cells which have served, or are to serve, for the habitation of the worms of the common and of the male bees, are of ten made also at other times the recepta cles of honey ; but though these are in differently made to serve either use, there are others destined only to receive ho ney. The celerity with which a swarm of bees received into a hive where they find themselves lodged:to their minds, bring i their works of the comb to perfec tion, is amazing, There- are vast numbers at work all at once ; and that they may not incommode one another, they do not ''Nvork upon the first comb till it is finish ,' ed, but when the foundation of that is laid, they go to work upon another, so that there are often the beginnings of three or four stories made at once, and so many swarms allotted to the carrying on the work of each.