177 



Solenopis, as Dr. Wheeler informs us, and which can be 

 verified, stings very severely, and as the sting is an interesting 

 weapon not only because of its structure, but for the reason that 

 we are acquainted with it, I will make a few remarks upon it. 



The palpi or feelers instead of being hairy, as in a bee, are 

 broad and set sparingly with thick tactile bristles. The sheath, 

 as in the bee, does not inclose the darts, but is split down the 

 side, with dove-tailed grooves running its entire length. 



When one of these ants gets upon the hand it does not im- 

 mediately thrust its sting into the flesh, but seems to be trying 

 to find a suitable place for the deposit of the poison. Upon 

 finding- such a position it grasps the flesh with the mandibles, 

 draws the abdomen towards the head and thrusts the sheath 

 into the tightly drawn flesh, which, no sooner gets a hold than 

 the darts are driven forward until the little weapon can go no 

 further, the poison in the meantime flowing into the wound, a 

 drop of which is capable of killing any insect. 



I have found upon further observations that the darts are 

 continued far above the bulbous portion of the sheath, being- 

 still held in place by the dove-tail process before referred to, 

 and that towards the head of the bidb the darts separate, form- 

 ing arms shaped like a Y ending in two points, which are at- 

 tached to a couple of chitinous muscles, which for convenience 

 sake and also because that is their purpose, I will call levers, 

 the levers again being attached to muscles terminating in the 

 body wall of the abdomen. These muscles by contracting re- 

 volve the levers around so as to force the two points at the end 

 of the darts to approach each other, upon which l)oth the darts 

 and sheath are thrust into the flesh. A muscular contraction of 

 a strip joining the end of the Y-shaped arms and the muscle 

 attached to the abdomen, brings the end of the darts down, 

 thereby forcing them alone into the wound, wdiile the sheath is 

 left steady, the next movement drives the sheath further in, and 

 vice versa, until the sting is lost sight of. 



It has no doubt been noticed by those who have examined 

 a bee's sting that the darts have at their extremities several 

 loosely fixed barbs which are left in the wound ; while no trace 

 of them can be found in the wasp. The darts of the ant, while 

 possessing these interesting barbs, instead of being loosely at- 

 tached are firmly fixed, and set so nmnerous, there being only 

 two or three at the top, so that they are not left in the wound. 



