CHAPTER III. 



ANTS AND DIGGERS. 



The insects which compose the remainder of the Hymenoptera 

 have been arranged by Mr. F. Smith, who has brought to bear 

 upon them an enormous amount of labour and knowledge. 

 His arrangement and definitions will be observed in this work. 

 He divides them primarily into four tribes, the first of which 

 is called Heterogyna. These insects are sometimes solitary 

 and sometimes social, the latter being more common than the 

 former. The social species have apparently three, but really 

 only two sexes, namely, perfect males, perfect females, and 

 workers, which are, in fact, partially developed females. The 

 males are always winged, but the females only possess these 

 organs temporarily. As to the solitary species, the females 

 are altogether without wings. 



The first division of the tribe is the Aculeata, or sting- 

 bearers. In them, the females have an abdomen consisting of 

 six segments, and furnished with a sting. The antennjE have 

 twelve joints. The antennae of the males have thirteen joints, 

 and the abdomen has seven segments, but has no sting. In 

 fact, as the sting is a modification of the ovipositor, it follows 

 that no male insect can possess a sting. 



We pass to the first family of these insects, the Formicidso, 

 or Social Ants. In this family the head is more or less trian- 

 gular, and the basal joint of the antennae is extremely long, 

 often occupying half the length of the entire organ, and form- 

 ing a bold elbow at the juncture with the third joint. The 

 eyes are placed at the sides of the head, and do not reach to its 

 top. In the perfect males the ocelli are three in number, set 

 triangularly, and larger than those of the opposite sex. The 

 wings are large and delicate, and only exist in the males and 



