has been experimentally found that no less than from
twelve to fifteen pounds of dry sugar {234} are consumed by a hive of bees
for the secretion of each pound of wax; to that a prodigious quantity of
fluid nectar must be collected and consumed by the bees in a hive for the
secretion of the wax necessary for the construction of their combs.
Moreover, many bees have to remain idle for many days during the process of
secretion. A large store of honey is indispensable to support a large stock
of bees during the winter; and the security of the hive is known mainly to
depend on a large number of bees being supported. Hence the saving of wax
by largely saving honey must be a most important element of success in any
family of bees. Of course the success of any species of bee may be
dependent on the number of its parasites or other enemies, or on quite
distinct causes, and so be altogether independent of the quantity of honey
which the bees could collect. But let us suppose that this latter
circumstance determined, as it probably often does determine, the numbers
of a humble-bee which could exist in a country; and let us further suppose
that the community lived throughout the winter, and consequently required a
store of honey: there can in this case be no doubt that it would be an
advantage to our humble-bee, if a slight modification of her instinct led
her to make her waxen cells near together, so as to intersect a little; for
a wall in common even to two adjoining cells, would save some little wax.
Hence it would continually be more and more advantageous to our humble-bee,
if she were to make her cells more and more regular, nearer together, and
aggregated into a mass, like the cells of the Melipona; for in this case a
large part of the bounding surface of each cell would serve to bound other
cells, and much wax would be saved. Again, from the same cause, it would be
advantageous to the Melipona, if she were to make her cells closer
together, and more regular in every way {235} than at present; for then, as
we have seen, the spherical surfaces would wholly disappear, and would all
be replaced by plane surfaces; and the Melipona would make a comb as
perfect as that of the hive-bee. Beyond this stage of perfection in
architecture, natural selection could not lead; for the comb of the
hive-bee, as far as we can see, is absolutely perfect in economising wax.

Thus, as I believe, the most wonderful of all known instincts, that of th