Hence we may safely conclude that, if we could slightly modify the
instincts already possessed by the Melipona, and in themselves not very
wonderful, this bee would make a structure as wonderfully perfect as that
of the hive-bee. We must suppose the Melipona to have the power of forming
her cells truly spherical, and of equal sizes; and this would not be very
surprising, seeing that she already does so to a certain extent, and seeing
what perfectly cylindrical burrows many insects make in wood, apparently by
turning round on a fixed point. We must suppose the Melipona to arrange
her cells in level layers, as she already does her cylindrical cells; and
we must further suppose, and this is the greatest difficulty, that she can
somehow judge accurately at what distance to stand from her
fellow-labourers when several are making their spheres; but she is already
so far enabled to judge of distance, that she always describes her spheres
so as to intersect to a certain extent; and then she unites the points of
intersection by perfectly flat surfaces. By such modifications of
instincts which in themselves are not very wonderful--hardly more wonderful
than those which guide a bird to make its nest--I believe that the hive-bee
has acquired, through natural selection, her inimitable architectural
powers.
But this theory can be tested by experiment. Following the example of Mr.
Tegetmeier, I separated two combs, and put between them a long, thick,
rectangular strip of wax: the bees instantly began to excavate minute
circular pits in it; and as they deepened these little pits, they made them
wider and wider until they were converted into shallow basins, appearing to
the eye perfectly true or parts of a sphere, and of about the diameter of a
cell.
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