NEW ARRANGEMENT OF BRITISH BEES. 155 



Hymenoptera, these abortive females, called neuters, per- 

 form the labours of the community, and they are always 

 winged; whereas amongst the ants they are never 

 winged, and they constitute civil and military depart- 

 ments, the former attending to domestic matters, and 

 the latter making predatory excursions to enslave the 

 inhabitants of other communities, to aid their civilians 

 in their many duties. 



The third and last division of the aculeate Hyme- 

 noptera contains the Mellicolliyerae , the bees, or honey - 

 gatherers. 



Thus each division of the aculeated Hymenoptera is 

 closely linked to the others by the strong affinity of the 

 social habits of some of the genera of their several 

 families. 



The food of these three divisions of the aculeated 

 Hymenoptera differs considerably, the Fossores being 

 raptorial flesh-feeders, which hunt down and destroy 

 their prey, and supply it as food to their young; the 

 Heterogytice are omnivorous, grain, fruits, or carrion 

 being equally welcome to them ; but in these climates 

 I am not aware that they destroy life, although their 

 wide migrations within the tropics are undertaken in 

 the very spirit of the Huns and Vandals, for they de- 

 vastate everything they come across; but the whole 

 family of bees are exclusively honey-feeders without any 

 carnivorous propensities, and use their stings merely as 

 weapons of defence. 



Although all the social aculeates are edifiers, and 

 although the wasp in its papier mdche domicile may vie 

 with the honey-bee in capacity and skill in the structure 

 of the hexagons of the habitation it erects or suspends, 

 which are as perfect, and almost as delicate, although 



