34 t,,j, 



does in the cow. At the lower part of the honey-bag-, tho 

 valve is seen which admits the food througli a short neck to 

 the true stomach. This is a c^'lindrical organ increasmg' in 

 diameter slig-htly after leaving' the honey-hag-, and hound hy 

 innumerable muscular rings. When the food has reached 

 this point it is heyond the control of the hee, and cannot he 

 regurgitated. In this organ the honey or other food under- 

 goes that change which causes it to he secreted as wax. 

 Lastly, the stomach emerges into the intestine, which after 

 making- a few convolutions, passes straight to the extremity 

 of the abdomen. 



The organs of reproduction now engage our attention. 

 Passing from the upper part of the ahdomen, are seen two 

 slender, slight, thread-like organs, separating near the 

 base of the honey-hag into a number of tubes slightly 

 swelled here and there. These are the ovaries or egg- 

 reservoirs, which meet and form a common oviduct, or egg- 

 tube. Opening into the oviduct is a wonderful piece of 

 apparatus called the spermatheca, which retains the vivify- 

 ing fluid, and appears, as far as we can see_, to render each 

 €gg fertile, as it passes the opening. 



The next object that strikes our attention is the sting. 

 This organ, which has been described in another place, is 

 situated at the extremity of the abdomen. Rather to the 

 left of the sting, the poison-bag is seen, which is supplied 

 with its irritating contents by means of two very fine 

 thread-like glands, which may be seen springing from its 

 summit. The nerves have been removed, as the mass of 

 ganglia, or collections of nervous matter, would have ob- 

 scured the oesophagus entirely. Suffice it to say, that the 

 nervous S3'stem of the bee consists of a number of ganglia, 

 of which some very large ones occupy the head, to supply the 

 organs of sight, smell, and touch, while others are placed at 

 intervals down the thorax and abdomen, sending- out small 

 nerves to the parts to which they supply feeling. A great 

 collection of ganglia is found in the thorax, and to destroy 

 this part of the nervous system is the most merciful way of 

 killing insects. A smart pmch with the forceps will mostly 

 ■cause the death of an insect, in the most instantaneous 

 inanner. Insects have no real brain, that is, they seem to 

 liave no nervous centre like the brains of higher animals. 



