As Dr. Bevan, in the course of his _masterly_ chapter "On the Architecture of Bees," has given an engraved representation of a piece of honey-comb,--and as Mr. Huish also has given a somewhat similar representation, but better than Dr. Bevan's, inasmuch as it is more varied, and shows the royal-cells in their different stages to more advantage, and the drone-cells likewise;--I cannot, perhaps, do the _honey-comb_ so much justice in any way, as by presenting to my reader a copy of Mr. Huish's piece of comb, which has been _greatly improved_ by the skilful hand of my engraver, and by giving along with it Dr. Bevan's able description. Though after all, a piece of _real comb_, to look at and examine, is more beautiful and far better than any engraving possibly can be, however cleverly it may be executed: and therefore, notwithstanding the plate, I would recommend it to my reader to procure a piece of real honey-comb, and with it in his hand read the following account, which is chiefly from Dr. Bevan's pen.
Royal-cells in different states of forwardness, common-cells, and drone-cells, are intended to be severally represented in this plate. The ranges forming the upper half, and marked--a. are intended to represent common brood-cells and honey-cells--most of them in an empty state. The lower ranges, marked--b. are drone-cells, and are represented as closed up, and as they appear when full of brood. Drone-cells, when filled with brood and sealed up, present a fuller and more convex surface than the cells containing common brood--these, that is--the cells containing the brood that becomes working Bees, are sometimes flat and even, and sometimes rather concave. The four large cells, attached perpendicularly to the edge of the comb, and marked--c. d. e. f. are royal-cells in different states of forwardness; that marked--c. is similar in size and shape to an acorn-cup, and is supposed to be quite empty; that marked--d. is in a more advanced state, and is supposed to contain a royal embryo, in its _larva_ state: the royal-cell, marked--e. is considerably lengthened, narrowed, and nearly closed, because the larva it is supposed to contain is about to be transformed into a royal nymph, in which stage of its existence, as it does not require the assistance of nurses or common Bees, it is closed up entirely, as in the royal-cell, marked--f. In this closed cell it progresses from nymph to Bee, and in due time--that is, in about sixteen days from its being deposited as an egg, it emerges a virgin Queen. When the temperature of a hive, or pavilion of nature, is at a proper height--namely, between 70 and 80 degrees, sixteen days is the period nature requires for the production of a Queen-Bee,--twenty-one for the perfection of a working Bee,--and twenty-six for a drone Bee. But, as Dr. Bevan very justly remarks, "the development of each species proceeds more slowly when the colonies are weak, or the air cool,--and that when the weather is very cold it is entirely suspended."