[B37]

Sept 26/58/ Mr Innes sent his Leaf-Hive for examination. They had built upwards from piece of old Broad-comb till they met a bar, base of which covered the plane of pyramidal bases. They then had prolonged these hexagonal prisms up both sides of bar, till they had nearly reached top of Bar.

[sketch] Bar Base

In doing this top of the last completed prisms, with flat base, was carried up as straight walls, some quite short & thickish on the top of these straight walls, diverging ridges were in every stage of completion. The ridges generally thickened very slightly & were always lower at free upper ends. The first steps of division in all stages from the dibranching arms could be distinguished. It is clear that Bee stood at (a) & made these forking or dibranching arms; but it was interesting to see that on extreme upper edge of wood bar, the minutest ridge of wax was deposited showing that these Bees had thought of the cell all round. These minutest ridges were formed only on edge opposite small part of wood Bar, which was above the prisms on the

[B37v]

If you look at rather irregular comb & find 3 very unequal facets or 4, & prick them with pin you will find the holes invariably open into so many distinct cells; but near bar, when that inequality was excessive I found one exception, but I believe this was due to a partition long been removed, we have seen several remaining short way up a prism - & then stopping or removed.

They do not coat whole surface, but lay down rough side or mounds on proper portion

[B38]

(2) bar. It is perfectly clear that Bees can lay down brute ridges on flat surface in shape of hexagon & that they can work at wall of cell, without completing each its own cell

X This is far better evidence than the brute ridge on the summit of growing hexagons, for these might be guided by upper outline of pyramidal bases, here more existed.

There were many curious irregularities in Leaf comb - one cell was 2 pieces of comb met at angle, was hexagonal at orifice, expanded downwards & then opened into chamber surrounded by 9 facets. One prism had 7 sides - some were curved or angularly bent - some had division halfway up & there ceased, & 2 cells became united into one.

Length of Bee = rather more than diameter of 2 prisms, or = to two measured from opposite angles. They seem to be all to sweep aside only when they have nearly flat surface on which they can turn round whilst standing flat on their legs. Hence they excavate basin on side of my Knife edge wax & on summit of flat artificial pieces. Hence comb is Knife edged that they may stand on the work sphere on the edge. Hence, according to Huber, if old

[B38v]

broken comb is given them, they always thin it using the Knife edge. I suspect, but cannot explain that inclination surface determines the upturning of axis of cell. But I do not Know whether this depends on form of pyramid or of prism. In leaf-hive some cells seem to laterally buried from old comb. Has this any relation to orbicular form of comb [sketch]

I shall not make out this, may state my suspicion. I have great doubts on this notion, for laterally cells do not always diverge.

I have some doubts about Huber's gnawing down, in sections of leaf-hive I can only make out that old wax used & that tints blend together.