I think my discussion
nearly removes a very great difficulty. I believe in its truth chiefly
from the existence of the Melipona, which makes a comb so intermediate
in structure between that of the humble and hive-bee, and especially
from the new and curious fact of the bees making smooth cups or saucers
when they excavated in a thick piece of wax, which saucers stood so
close that hexagons were built on their intersecting edges. And, lastly,
because when they excavated on a thin slip of wax, the excavation on
both sides of similar smooth basins was stopped, and flat planes left
between the nearly opposed basins. If my view were wholly false these
cases would, I think, never have occurred. Sedgwick and Co. may abuse me
to their hearts' content, but I shall as yet continue to think that mine
is a rational explanation (as far as it goes) of their method of work.

LETTER 75. TO W.H. MILLER.

Down, December 1st [1859].

Some months ago you were so kind as to say you would measure the
thickness of the walls of the basal and side plates of the cell of the
bee. Could you find time to do so soon? Why I want it soon, is that I
have lately heard from Murray that he sold at his sale far more copies
than he has of the "Origin of Species," and that I must immediately
prepare a new edition, which I am now correcting. By the way, I hear
from Murray that all the attacks heaped on my book do not seem to have
at all injured the sale, which will make poor dear old Sedgwick groan.
If the basal plates and walls do differ considerably in thickness, as
they certainly did in the one or two cells which I measured without
particular care (as I never thought the point of any importance), will
you tell me the bearing of the fact as simply as you can, for the chance
of one so stupid as I am in geometry being able to understand?

Would the greater thickness of the basal plates and of the rim of the
hexagons be a good adaptation to carry the vertical weight of the cells
filled with honey and supporting clusters of living bees?

Will you endeavour to screw out time and grant me this favour?

P.S. If the result of your measurement of the thickness of the walls
turns out at all what I have asserted, would it not be worth while to
write a little bit of a paper on the subject of your former note; and
"pluck" the bees if they deserve this degradation? Many mathematicians
seem to have thought the subject worthy of attention. When the cells are
full o