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A Bee new to Entomologists. 



On tlic morning of Oct. 16, 1887. a famous and popular clergyman, 

 (and consequently not the Editor of this Journal), preached a sermon in 

 which the following was spoken. 



" A miracle of formation is the bee : five eyes, two tongues, the outer 

 having a sheath of protecting hairs on all sides of its tiny body to brush 

 up the particles of flowers, it flight so straight that all the world knows of 

 the bee line. The honey comb is a palace such as no one but God could 

 plan, and the honey bee construct ; its cells sometimes a dormitory, and 

 sometimes a storehc^use, and sometimes a cemetery. These winged toilers 

 first make eight strips of wax, and bv their antennoe, which are to them 

 hammer, and chisel, and squnre, and plumb line, shape them for use. 

 Two and two these workers shape the wall. If an accident happen, they 

 put up buttresses or extra beams, to remedy the damage. When about 

 the year 1776 an insect, before unknown, in the night time attacked the 

 bee hives all over Europe, and the men who owned them were in vain 

 trying to plan something to keep out the invader that \vas the terror of 

 the bee hives of the continent, it was found that everywhere the bees had 

 arranged for their own protection and built before their honey combs an 

 especial wall of wax with porthole through which the bees might go to 

 and fro, but not large enough to admit the winged combatant called the 

 Sphinx Atropos. 



Do you know that the swarming of the bees is divinely directed.-* 

 The mother bee starts for a new home, and because of this the other bees 

 of the hive get into an excitement which raises the heat of the hive some 

 four degrees, and they must die unless they leave their healed apart- 

 ments." 



The doctor in giving this description did not attach to the insect its 

 scientific name, but I have no doubt Entomologists will see, from the de- 

 scription, that it is very distinct from any species at present known. Its 

 habits arc also, in many respects very peculiar. It is to be hoped the in- 

 sect studied was not carelessly destroyed. A specimen would be a great 

 acquisition for any Entomologist ! 



But come to think we are stupid ! It must be the insect known as 

 a " bee in the bonnet" to which the eloquent Doctor refered. Entomo- 

 logists can be pardoned if they are ignorant of it. as it is of course a "rara 

 apis" with them. We hope for the sake of Science the next time the Doc- 

 tor has a specimen under observation he will capture it, — pin it, properly 

 label it with name, (perhaps Apis kratikii), and locality (probably Caput 

 inane) and send it to some Entomological Society where it will be duly 

 appreciated. Geo. D. Hulst. 



