Sting of the Ho7iey Bee. ii 



accordance with the principles and plan of scientific descrip- 

 tion, would introduce a number of terms not yet familiar to 

 our language, a proceeding foreign to the purpose of this 

 paper. 



The remarkable mechanical action described in connection 

 with the valve attached to the lancets may be corroborated by 

 any one skilled in the manipulation of small objects, by forcing 

 a fluid through the opening in front of the valve and out of the 

 small canals. 1 found no difficulty in doing this, but it might 

 be inferred, a priori, that some such action was necessary, for, 

 to make these pieces project only one-fiftieth of an inch deeper 

 into the wound than the sheath, without any provision to intro- 

 duce the poison, would produce no sensible effect upon the 

 nervous system of any of the higher animals, much less on 

 that of another insect. 



The venomous effect of a wound made by the sting is en- 

 tirely due to the poison introduced by it, but to construct a 

 complicated mechanism for thrusting into the skin a pair of 

 spicules the one five-hundredth part of an inch in diameter to 

 the depth of one-fiftieth of an inch, without any other provision 

 for producing an effect upon the nervous system, would be 

 worse than arming soldiers with Gatling guns without ammu- 

 nition, and a provision no naturalist would expect to find. 



The following micrometric measurements will afford some 

 idea of the dimensions of this formidable weapon. 



Whole length of sheath, about 2.5 mm. 



Length of penetrating part 1.2 mm. 



Length of that part of lancets projecting beyond the 



sheath 4 mm. 



Diameter of lancets 04 mm. 



Demodex folliculorum. — In Vol. V. of the Bulletin of the 

 Museum Comp. Zoology, at Cambridge, Mr. Walter Faxon gives 

 a description of this parasite, as found in some cow-hides from 

 the west. 



Leather made from these hides appeared disfigured with 

 pits, which often penetrated almost entirely through it. These 

 cavities were seen in sections to be enlarged and diseased hair 

 follicles. A full description of the characters of the species 

 found is given as far as they could be made out in their im- 

 perfect condition when examined, and a valuable series of 

 references to the literature of the subject. 



