low Tube with a Bag of fharp penetrating Juices (its Poifon) joyn'd to the end of it, with the Body of the Wafp or Bee, which is in ftinging injected into the Flesh through the Tube. But there are, befides this, two fmall fharp bearded Spears lying within this Tube or Sting as in a Sheath. In a Wafp's Sting Mr. Derbam counted eight Beards on the fide of each Spear, fomewhat like the Beards of Fifth-Hooks: Thefe Spears in the Sting or Sheath lie one with its Point a little before that of the other, as is reprefented in the Figure X, to be ready to be firft darted into the Flesh; which being once fix'd by means of its foremost Beard, the other then ftrikes in too, and fo they alternately strike in deeper and deeper, their Beards taking more and more hold in the Flefh: After which the Sheath or Sting follows to convey the Poison into the Wound; and that it may pierce the better, it is drawn to a Point, with a fmall flit at the bottom of the Point, for the two Spears to come out at. By means of this Mechanism of the Sting it is, that when the Sting is out of the Body, and is parted from it, it is able to pierce and fting us; and by means of the Beard's being lodg'd deep in the Flesh, it comes to pass that Bees leave their Stings behind them, when they are disturb'd before they have Time to withdraw their Spears into their Scabbard. In Fig. X we may observe the two Spears as they lie in the Sting.

Fig. Y reprefents the two Spears, when fqueez'd out of the Sting or Scabbard, in which Fig. A C B is the Sting; c. d, and b. e. the two bearded Spears thruft out.

Of

Of the Cells, and the Structure of the
Honeycomb.

NE of the firft Things Bees go upon, after a new Swarm is put into a Hive, is to form their Cells; they apply themselves with fo much Diligence to this Work, that we have feen them make a Honeycomb in one Day of a Foot long and fix Inches broad; and which, according to the ufual Bignefs of the Cells, might contain near four thousand Bees.

They begin their Work by fastening it to that which is most folid in the upper part of the Hive, and they continue it from the Top to the Bottom, and from one Side to the other; and that they may fix it with the more Solidity, they fometimes make ufe of fuch a temper'd Wax as is almoft like Glue.

It's not eafy to account for the Manner how they carry on this Work, by reason of the Number of the Bees, which are in a grand Motion, and feemingly in Confufion; however, we have been able to make the following Remarks. We have feen each Bee carry a fmall Bit of Wax between their Chaps, and haften to the Place of Bufinefs where the Combs were forming, and where they, by the. Help of their Jaws, faften'd the Wax, one while on the Right, and at other times on the Left, to their Work, about which each

Bee

Bee spent but a fhort time, and then went their ways; but there is fo great a Number of them that fucceed one another in their Works, and with fo much Celerity, that you will find the Honeycomb encreafe fenfibly e nough. As fome of the Bees work upon the Cells, there are others that go backwards and forwards in the framing Cells, and beat the fame with their hind Parts, feemingly in order to make it folid and more firm."

The Order they obferve in building the Cells is this: They begin with forming the Bafis, which confifts of three Rhombs or LoZenges; they prefently make one of thefe Rhombs, and trace two Planes on each fide of this Rhomb; they add a fecond-Rhomb to the firft, with fomething of a Declivity, as we fhall obferve hereafter, and trace two new Planes on each fide of this Rhomb: Finally, they add a third to the two former, and raife two other Planes on both the Outfides of this Rhomb, which with the other Four form the Cell and by this Difpofition of the Bafis neceffarily becomes an Hexagon.

While fome of the Bees are employ'd in, building the Cells, others apply themselves to finish thofe that are newly traced, which they do with their Jaws, with which they smooth the Angles diligently, and finish the Sides and Bafis with fo much Delicacy, that three or four of thefe Sides being laid upon one another, are no thicker than an ordinary Sheet of Pa per; and forafmuch as the Holes thro' which the Bees go in in and out of the Cells, for which there is but juft Room for them, would be too brittle, and easy to be broken, by reason

of that Thinnefs, they strengthen each of them with a Welt of Wax..

We have obferv'd, that thofe Bees which build the Cells, generally work but a short time together upon them; but it is not fo with thofe that polith them, for they continue long at it, and yet ufe much Expedition, without ceafing from their Labour any longer than while they carry out of the Cells thofe little Bits of Wax which they have taken off in polishing; and to the end, that this Stuff may not be loft, there are other Bees ready to receive it of thofe that polish the Work, or come to take it out of the Cell, out of which those who are employ'd in polishing readily withdraw, and go to work in another Place.

There are other Bees appointed to affift those that are employ'd in polifhing; for we find them often giving 'em either Honey or fome o ther Liquor needful, either for their Work or their own Suftenance.

Each Honeycomb has two Rows of Cells oppofite to one another, with their Bafes in common, and each Honeycomb is somewhat lefs than an Inch thick; thus the Depth of each Cell will be fomewhat more than. the third part of an Inch: We have found in feveral Honeycombs of a Foot long, from fixty to fixty fix Rows of Cells; each of them. therefore must be a little more than the fixth part of an Inch wide, which is about a third of its whole Length:

The Honeycombs are almost all: built. of this Bignefs, except a fmall Number of others in fome Parts of the Hive, which are larger; thefe Cells are somewhat more than the fourth

part of an Inch wide, and about half an Inch long These great Cells are made to depofit the Worms in, which change to Drones, as we fhall fhew hereafter.

Moreover, we find in feveral Parts of the Hive three or four Cells bigger than the former, and made differently from them; they are of a fpheroidical Form, open in the nether Part, and faften'd to the Ends of the Honeycombs: We do not certainly know the Ufe of them, but they are fuppos'd to be the Arbours or Habitations of their Queens.

The Bafes of all the Honeycombs are plac'd at fuch a distance from one another, that when the Cells are finish'd, there remains no more Space between one another, than is fufficient for two Bees to go a-breaft: These Honeycombs are not continued from the Top to the Bottom, but are often interrupted; and befides this, they have Openings at certain distances, that there may be an easier and shorter Communication between them.

After having explain'd the Manner of building the Cells, we come more particularly to confider the Structure of them.

Every Basis of a Cell is form'd by three Rhombs, that are almoft equal and alike, which, pursuant to the Measures we have taken, have two obtufe Angles, each of one hundred and ten Degrees, and confequently two sharp ones of feventy Degrees each.

These three Rhombs lean one towards another, and are joyn'd together by the Sides which contain one of the obtufe Angles; and by their Inclination form a mutual folid Angle, which, by reason the Rhombs are commonly equal,

meet