HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



3^ 



Each whorl may be made up of three or more leaves, 

 a whorl with three leaves is described as ternate ; with 

 four, quaternate, and so on. In cases where the whorls 

 do not decussate a series of spirals is formed, similar to 

 the secondary spirals already mentioned. Labiata?, as 

 already observed, have opposite, decussate leaves, 

 Begoniaceae alternate, Cinchonaceoe opposite, and 

 Tiliaceae (linden) distichous. Such, then, are the 

 three forms of leaf arrangement, and it will be seen 

 what a conspicuous place phyllotaxis must take 

 in morphological botany, both from the insight it 

 gives us upon the strictly mathematical relation of the 

 leaves to the axis, and from the aid it affords in all 

 natural systems of classification. 



THE STING OF A BEE.* 



ALTHOUGH there are probably very few 

 cabinets which do not contain a preparation 

 of this portion of a bee's anatomy in a more or less 

 compressed state, there is but little information con- 

 cerning it in any of the best-known handbooks on 

 the microscope. In some of the back numbers of 

 Science-Gossip will be found some correspondence 

 which it is worth while looking up ; and in Gosse's 

 "Evenings at the Microscope" there is also a short 

 account of it. But the best paper upon the matter, 

 perhaps, is that in Vol. I., No. I, of the "American 

 Quarterly Microscopical Journal," by Mr. J. D. Hyatt. 

 Those who have read this will find that in the 

 following remarks I do not quite follow his con- 

 clusions, nor do I agree that all "the drawings and 

 diagrams [illustrating his paper] are each delineations 

 of the objects presented and very correct as regards 

 the relative proportion of connected parts," although 

 some undoubtedly are. A print of this paper is in 

 the Quekett Library. 



The position the sting occupies is the last lower 

 segment of the abdomen, the point of the lancet 

 being just within the body ; where will be found 

 a slight notch at the posterior angle of the segment 

 which affords a place through which the sting may 

 pass. Immediately above it lies the rectum. 



Upon cutting open the back of the bee and re- 

 moving the alimentary canal the sting will at once 

 be recognised by a pair of conspicuous white muscles, 

 lying nearly parallel to each other and running in 

 the direction of the length of the abdomen. When 

 removed from its position it will present the appear- 

 ance of fig. 19, but with certain muscles running in 

 various directions, which have been omitted from 

 the diagram for the sake of clearness. 



The framework consists of six distinct parts : (1) 

 a flat plate of chitine (a figs. 19 and 20), articulated 

 to b by a hinge at the outer top angle, and to c by 

 a sort of pivot at the inner anterior angle ; (2) b con- 



* Read before the South London Microscopical and Natural 

 History Club, April 15, 1S79. 



sists of a triangular-shaped piece united at its apex 

 with a thin rod which curves inwards for a certain 

 distance and then becomes straight for the rest of the 

 length of the sting, bearing barbs (not shown in the 

 figure) at the end — it also bears upon it a curious 

 part & of considerable importance, according to my 

 theory, in the ejection of poison ; (3) c another flat 

 plate united at the anterior end with a curved rod, 

 along the outer surface of which the curved portion, 

 of b runs ; at the posterior end of c there is found 

 a whitish membranous piece c' n often spoken of as 

 the palpus. A ridge should be noticed running 

 along the upper surface of c ; this is not always readily 

 seen, as the inner edge of a frequently overlaid it. 



These pieces appear on each side of the organ. 

 c is united with the central portion of the sting c K by a 

 peculiar-shaped piece shown in fig. 21 and 22 c" — this 

 central portion is hollow at the anterior end and then 

 tapers away to almost a point, bearing barbs at the 

 end on its upper surface. The next piece is a -■ or 

 "merry-thought "-shaped piece d (figs. 19, 25), the 

 posterior end being free, while the anterior ends are 

 hinged to c\ There is one portion, e, which it will be 

 convenient here to mention — this is a membranous bag 

 enveloping the hollow part of c, c\ its internal surface 

 is covered with hairs which appear trifurcated. The 

 poison-bag is connected with the sting by a tube in the 

 manner indicated in fig. 22 ; this tube appears to be 

 strengthened by partial rings of chitine and also 

 to be slightly creased or " concertina' d." 



The manner in which b va and the curved part of 

 b are connected with c w and c l does not seem to be 

 generally known, and probably would never be dis- 

 covered from an examination of those specimens 

 which are specially recommended for "displaying 

 the lancet beautifully." One is constantly informed 

 that "it is very difficult to show them ;" this is un- 

 doubtedly so. A glance at fig. 23 will explain the 

 matter. A is a section through a part of ?" and b ni 

 (one part being removed) and B (copied from Mr. 

 Hyatt's paper, my own specimen having been spoilt 

 in mounting) is through c\ It will be seen that the 

 c" bears along its whole length a T-shaped ridge, 

 something like a railway rail, which fits into a cor- 

 responding groove in b"\ consequently if the parts <£ m 

 are " displayed " it is only at the expense of wrench- 

 ing them from their proper fixings. This arrangement 

 allows b' M to move both ways in the direction of its 

 length and in no other. 



Although b\ fig. 20, appears to be placed on the 

 side of b iu it is really on the upper side of it leaning 

 over, as it were. Fig. 24 is an enlarged view of this 

 part. The semicircular piece or flap a is of very 

 transparent membrane (which requires staining to be 

 easily seen) strengthened by rods of chitine ; it is 

 also seen to be double with the two portions joined 

 at the back by another piece of membrane ; this is 

 hinged to b which, as will be seen in the figure, 

 connects it with the main piece c. This part, the 



