82 



THE ANATOMY OK TIIK lloNEV JJEE. 



be squeezed <jently between a pair of forceps the poison will l)e seen 

 to emerge in the same way. In fact, it can be actually scpiirted out 

 by a sudden compression when the bulb is Avell Hlled with [xjison, but 

 there is newr any e\'idence of its escape through the sides. 



An examination of the end of each lancet tloes reveal a number of 

 oblique pores (fig. 40 E, oo) which have bt'en figured l)y other writ- 

 ers, and they certiiinly open on the bases of the barl)s as described, 

 but their inner ends apparently connnunicale with the body cavity 

 (be) of the lancet instead of passing clear through the lancet and 

 opening into the poison canal. Furthermore, a paired series of 

 exactly similar pores extends the entire length of the shaft of the 

 sheath (fig. 40 F, oo), opening on its dorsal surface from the body 

 cavity (he). No one could possibly claim that the j)oison emerges 



ShA Tri Ob kk 



Fig. 41. — Tip of abdomen of worker with left side removed, showinj; rlj^lit halves of sev- 

 enth tersum (VHT) and sternum {VII8), containinj; the stlnv' chamber {kk) cut open 

 alons the line bir, exposing the eighth tergum (VIIIT), the rudimentary tenth segment 

 (X) carrying the anus (.1/0- :iud the sting and accessory parts shown by lig. oO. 



also through these pores, which, very curiously, do not appear to 

 have been described before, although they are even more conspicuous 

 as well as more numerous than those of the lancets. The writer has 

 not been successful in preparing histological sections of the sting 

 which show these pores, but they probably constitute the ducts of 

 some kind of subcuticular glands. 



A cross-section through the sting a short distance in front of its 

 tip shows that the lancets are here separated by a narrow cleft (fig. 

 40 A), while elsewhere (B and C) they are contiguous. This cleft 

 betAveen the ends of the lancets forms the exit for the poison from the 

 channel. 



The sting of the queen is much longer than that of the worker 

 Mid is more solidly attached within the sting chamber. Its shaft is 



