HYMENOPTERA. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



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Stingers, and Piercers. — Habits of some of the Hymenoptera. — Saw- 

 Flies, AND. Slugs. Elm Saw-Flv. Fir Saw-Flv. Vine Saw-Fly. Rose- 

 bush Slug. Pear-tree Slug. — Horn-tailed Wood-Wasps.— Gall-Flies. 



Bees, wasps, ants, saw-flies, and ichneumon-flies, of many 

 different kinds, together with other insects, unknown by any 

 common names in the English language, belong to the order 

 •HrMENOPTERA. Their wings are four in number, are traversed 

 by a few, branching veins, and are more or less transparent, or of 

 a thin and filmy texture, as expressed by the name of the order, 

 which signifies membranaceous wings. They fly swiftly, and are 

 able to keep on the wing much longer than any other insects, 

 because their bodies are light, and compact, and their wings very 

 thin, narrow, and withal very strong. They have four nippers 

 or jaws ; the upper pair being horny, stout, and fitted for biting 

 or cutting ; the lower are longer and softer, and, with the lower 

 lip, which they cover, form a kind of beak or sucker. Their 

 antennae vary in form and" length ; but are most often cylindrical, 

 and of equal thickness to the end. The males have no weapoqs 

 of offence or defence except their jaws. The females are armed 

 with a venomous sting, concealed within the end of the hind- 

 body, or are provided with a piercer, of some sort, for boring 

 or sawing the holes wherein their eggs are deposited. Hence 

 the insects of this order may be divided into two groups. Sting- 

 ers, and Piercers. Though both of them undergo a complete 

 transformation in coming to maturity, they differ from each other 

 in the early states of their existence. The young of all the 

 stinging HymenOptera are soft, white, and maggot-shaped, and 

 are without legs ; some of those of the Piercers have the same 

 form, but the others more nearly resemble grubs and caterpillars, 

 having a horny head, and six, jointed legs, and some of them nu- 

 merous, fleshy, proplegs, besides. The latter, when food fails 

 them in one place, are able to creep to another, and can look out 

 for themselves a proper place of shelter, wherein to go through 

 with their transformations. The others are exceedingly helpless, 

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