42 



The working bees are the crowd, the masses, the liviag force ; they greatly outnumber 

 other individuals. The worker is smaller than either the queen or drone ; it has three 

 pairs of legs as have the others, but the hindermost pair of the worker's legs is developed 

 in a peculiar manner to enable it to perform the duties belonging to it ; the leg is much 

 enlarged near its farther end, and resembles a long triangle in outline ; a set of sharp 

 points or many strong spines, which are regularly distributed, form a kind of rake toward 

 the extremity, and this implement enables the bee to seize the waxy plates that are be- 

 tween its abdominal segments. The first joint of the tarsus or foot succeeds the leg and 

 attains a great size, when compared with that of the other members of the structure. 

 Being articulated with or jointed to the leg by its internal angle, the free external portion 

 forms, with the leg, a true pair of pincers ; moreover two small spines render the arrange- 

 ment all the more perfect. This joint is square in outline, and is perfectly smooth on the 

 outside, whilst it is furnished on the inside with many transverse sets of stiff hairs of 

 equal size. The limb acts capitally as a trowel and as a brush. The fertile female or 

 queen, which never works, has the traces of this arrangement, and the males also ; but 

 neither of them has the pinching and brushing structures : these are restricted to the 

 workers. 



The worker or neuter possesses a pair of movable mandibles or jaws which close 

 the mouth on the side ; its trunk or proboscis consists of four horny like scales which 

 enclose a tongue about the size of a hair, which when magnified appears to be formed of 

 successive rings. One pair of these sheathing scales is provided with a fringe of hairs, in- 

 tended, no doubt, to brush off and secure the honey which is found in the cups of flowers, 

 and a more efficient and beautifid instrument we could not conceive of. This tongue is 

 not used for sucking as in the case of butterflies, but for lapping ; when not in use it is 

 folded in a small compass. The antenna; are twelve jointed and terminate in a knob ; 

 they probably serve as a means of communication, and as delicate organs of touch. 

 The abdomen consists of six joints Or rings, and under the scaly coverings of the four 

 middle ones are situated the receptacle for the wax. Neither the queens nor the 

 drones have any provision for the collection of pollen or the secretion of wax, as their 

 duties are of another kind. The a'bdomen of the worker is terminated by a straight 

 sting ; the drone has none ; that of the queen is curved. The wings of the worker and 

 those of the drone, cover the abdomen entirely, whilst those of the queen cover only one- 

 half Other characteristics and the relations of these creatures to each other will be 

 best shown by an examination of their social life, and their division of labour, which are 

 among the strongest arguments for ascribing powers of reason to these insects. 



A colony of bees consists, besides the young brood, of one queen, several hundreds of 

 males or drones, and many thousand workers or neuters. 



In the summer time, a bee hive is truly a busy place ; all is bustle without confusion : 

 each insect has its appointed work to do, and all are diligent. At the door stand the 

 watchful sentinels ready to challenge rash intruders, while passingjin and out are hundreds 

 of busy workers, some carrying their sweet burdens to the common store-house, whilst 

 others are setting off in search of new supplies. Here we see a worker engaged in a con- 

 test with a venturesome stranger, and there are others performing the last sad offices for a 

 dead companion. Their industry is remarkable and has become proverbial, as can testify 

 many a lagging urchin who has been referred to the bee to find incitement to industry. 



" How doth the little busy bee, 

 Improve each shining hour," &c. 



When a colony takes possession of a hive, be it an artificial one or a natural cavity, the 

 first operation is to stop up all the openings, except one, which is to form the door. The 

 substance used in this process is called propolis, and is an odorous gum resin taken from 

 the buds of the poplar, pine, fir, and beech trees. It is said that bees sometimes use this 

 propolis for embalming the dead bodies of enemies which cannot be removed fromt he 

 hive, and which are in this way prevented from decomposing. If so, the Egyptians 

 lose a trifle of their celebrity in this regard. After the hive is properly prepared, the 

 next step is to lay the foundation for the cells which are to form the comb. The material 

 necessary, is wax. Was was formerly supposed to be derived from the pollen of flowers 



