274 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



victory is won. Aristotle mentions the fact that in his 

 time horses were stung to death by bees, and such in- 

 stances have also happened in modern times ; so that it is 

 actually dangerous for little children to have their play- 

 ground too near an apiary. Like the ants, also, the bees 

 consider the inhabitants of other hives as their enemies, and 

 wage deadly war upon them whenever they come in con- 

 tact ; so that if a swarm loses its way and enters a full 

 hive a murderous battle ensues, sometimes lasting a whole 

 afternoon, or until not a vestige of the enemy remains. 



There was formerly some dispute as to whether or not 

 the queen bee was armed with a sting like the workers. 

 It is true that she is very quiet and peaceable, not so much 

 disposed to fight as the workers, and will even run upon the 

 hand without inflicting any wound; but as soon as you 

 touch her, or she is in any way irritated, she will dart out 

 her sting at you, and its venom is as strong as that of the 

 others. With it, at all events, she kills all her rival queens. 



1th. The Collection of Wax and Honey. — In order to 

 understand the modus ojyeraiidi of this the principal occupa- 

 tion of the bees, it is necessary to become acquainted with 

 the instruments with which they work. The head of the 

 bee is covered with hair, which is completely powdered 

 with pollen when the head is thrust into the open blossom 

 of a flower. On each side of the head are two oblong 

 eyes, and above and between them three small stemmata, 

 or coroneted eyes, arranged in the form of a triangle, while 

 a little below are two antennce, probably the organs of hear- 

 ing. Below these are two horny jaws and their proboscis. 

 The neck, trunk, or thorax, is united to the head by a 

 thread-like ligament, and to its upper part are attached 

 four wings, while from its under part proceed six legs. 

 The hind body, or abdomen, consists of six scaly ringlets, 

 and is attached to the thorax by a slender ligament. With 

 regard to their legs, it is necessary to know that their fore 



