26 



BRITISH BEES. 



here are those portions of the external structure which 

 have any special bearing upon the economy and habits, 

 or upon the generic and specific determination of the 

 insects, and to which therefore I shall specially limit 

 myself. 



The head is the most important segment of the in- 

 sect's body, if we may elevate to such distinction any 



portion, when all conduce to the 

 same end, and either would be im- 

 perfect without the other, yet we 

 may perhaps thus distinguish it from 

 the rest as it exclusively contains 

 that higher class of organs, those of 

 of the se nse, which are most essential to 



head ot the bee. a, ver- 

 tex ; b, face; c, ocelli or the functions of the creature. The 



stemmata ; d, compound -. . , 



eyes ; e, clypeus ; /, man- head consists or the vertex, or crown ; 



*e <,,, or cheeks; the face; the 

 re P s e- clypeus, or nose; the compound eyes ; 



the stemmata, or simple eyes; the antenna, or feelers, 

 and the trophi, or organs of the mouth collectively. 



The thorax, the second segment, carries all the organs 

 of locomotion. It consists of the prothorax or collar, 

 which carries beneath the anterior pair of legs ; the meso- 

 thorax, or central division, with which articulate late- 

 rally above the four wings, the anterior of which have 

 their base protected by the squamula, or epaulettes, or 

 wing scales, and beneath it carries the intermediate pair 

 of legs ; the metathorax, or hinder portion, which has in 

 the centre above, behind the scutellum, the post-scutel- 

 lum, and at the extremity of this division just above the 

 articulation of the posterior legs is attached the last seg- 

 ment of the insect, the Abdomen. 



The vertex, or crown of the head, is that portion 



