CHAPTER VII 

 HOW AXTS COMMUNICATE 



TT^E are not yet done with our typical bee's capability 

 f T to express her current feelings. She can resort 

 to spiracular language. When deprived of the use of 

 wings by the spider's entanglements, she still made her 

 plaintive, or petulant, or wrathful protest through the 

 spiracles. These are breathing organs arranged in pairs 

 along the abdomen and thorax of insects. Behind each 

 spiracle is a membrane, or chitinous projection, which 

 is agitated during breathing, and may be set vibrating 

 so rapidly as to produce a sound. This, for lack of a 

 fitter word, has been called a "voice," and certainly 

 suggests the product of the vocal chords in man. It 

 comes as near to being a true voice as we are likely to 

 find among insects, and perhaps the diminutive "voice- 

 let" might be applied to it not inaptly. 



One need not be a naturalist to satisfy himself of its 

 presence. Let a house-fly be held by its two wings- 

 our bee being hardly available for such an experiment 

 for ordinary observers and there will be heard a high- 

 toned buzzing which manifestly is not made by the 

 wings. It issues from the spiracles, and is the insect 

 voicelet. The same note inav be heard from the un- 



/ 



happy victims of fly-paper, who, though their wings 

 are held in the grip of the sticky compound, continue to 

 send out a pitiful cry from their spiracles. The same wail 



136 



