2-50 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



an, or externo-medial; d, the sub-median, and e the 

 internal or anal. The large open space in the 

 wings of butterflies (Fig-. 2) is called the discoidal 

 area. In the higher orders the cells are all named. 

 Thus, in the bee (Fig. 1), 1 is the costal cell; 5 the 

 marginal, and 6, 7, and 8 the sub-costal, or cubital 

 cells. These are very much used in classifying and 

 describing different bees. Thus, the cells will be 

 alike in bees of the same genus. All hive-bees will 

 have wings as in Fig. 1; so the bumble-bees— Bom- 

 bus will all have similar wings; and the carpenter 

 bees— Xylocopa— etc. In entomology, then, we are 

 ever studying these wings, for they are one of the 

 most sure keys with which to unlock the curious 

 relationships. Insects may and often do look very 

 much alike; yet a study of the wings will show they 

 are widely apart. 



When insects like bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, 

 etc., have two wings on each side, which act as one 

 in flight, they are usually hooked together. In the 

 honey-bee there are from eighteen to twenty-two of 

 these hooks (Fig. 1, h, h), on the front, or costal 

 margin of the hind or secondary wing. These hook 

 into a fold of the front wing - (Fig. 1, s). This fold is 

 on the hind margin of the wing, which folds up and 

 over. In butterflies and moths there is but one 

 hook, which is close to the base of the wing. 



Many insects are apterous, or have no wings. In 

 such cases there are usually structural indications 

 that the ancestors of such insects possessed organs 

 of flight. In these ancestors, owing to changed 

 habits, the wings were not used, and nature snatch- 

 ed them away. I am sure nature abhors a useless 

 member, whether of an animal or of society. We 

 can often see nature whittling away these organs. 

 Thus we often see insects with wings weak and 

 abortive. The insect, from its mode of life, has 

 ceased to use its wings; and nature says, "If you 

 tie up my gifts in a napkin, I shall take them 

 away." Just as nature says to us, "Think, study, 

 or soon you will have no brain power for thought 

 and study; exercise, or soon you will have no mus- 

 cles to work with." What a unity— a oneness of 

 plan— runs all through nature! Even the study of 

 nature alone, proclaims that there is one God, and 

 he is in all and over all. 



The rate of flight in insects is marvelous beyond 

 comprehension. The bee flies often twenty miles an 

 hour, while very tiny flies will often keep abreast 

 of a horse in full speed. Landois, judging from 

 the pitch, finds that the bee's wing may vibrate 440 

 times per second. While there is no doubt about 

 the truth of this statement, the fact baffles com- 

 prehension. The sole use of the wings of most in- 

 sects is for flight. A few insects, however, like the 

 crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers, use them to 

 voice their feelings. The love-note of the grass- 

 hopper, cricket, and katydid, is produced by mo- 

 tions of the wings alone, or of the legs and wings. 

 Thus the insect chorus which sounds by day and 

 night during the warmth and sunshine of summer 

 and autumn is but the love-songs of these myriad 

 Lilliputs. These songs which " rasp the silence" 

 are sure signs that sentiment and emotion reach 

 even to the lesser forms of animal life; and while 

 they are no proof that insects possess ears, they do 

 show clearly that insects have a very delicate 

 sense, whereby they take account of vibrations. 



Agricultural College, Mich. A. J. Cook. 



Well, old friend, you have given us one of 

 the grandest talks above that ever came 



from your pen. I did not know before that 

 you felt a thrill whenever a winged insect 

 passed by; and I have sometimes thought 

 that I was more imaginative than most peo- 

 ple, when that thrill comes to me over and 

 over again, suggesting that somewhere or 

 some time we too shall be wafted through 

 the air. I do not know whether it is com- 

 ing through machinery or by the aid of 

 some great bird that shall be bred up on 

 purpose to carry people through the air ; 

 but I am certain that God, in his infinite 

 plans, has this in store for us. We breed 

 horses for great burdens, and also for speed 

 —why not birds ? By the way, who will 

 tell us the most fit bird to commence with V 

 1 suppose the brothers and sisters down 

 south will laugh again if I suggest turkey 

 buzzards as being somewhere in the line. 

 They are gentle, and have enormous wings. 

 They can already carry a considerable bur- 

 den, for I have seen them do it. Friend 

 Cook, there is one more problem that has 

 troubled me sorely, that I do not find touch- 

 ed in your talk at all. Why does an up-and- 

 down motion, or, in fact, any sort of motion 

 of a flat wing, like the wing of a bee, carry 

 it aloft in the air ? I have read some learn- 

 ed papers on this subject, but they do not 

 satisfy me. I can understand how a bird 

 flies, because the wing is concave ; but why 

 does the paddling motion of a butterfly with 

 its wings enable it to soar aloft ? "Every 

 spring, when butterflies come around, I 

 watch and ponder ; but I have not got any 

 further than the old gentleman who replied 

 to his good wife on a various lot of prob- 

 lems, " ' Case it does.'" The motion of the 

 wings does enable them to fly, but I do not 

 see why. Then, again, there is a species of 

 bugs that have a coarse dark overcoat un- 

 der which they tuck their gauzy wings to 

 keep them nice. It always reminds me of a 

 city belle putting away her gauzy laces and 

 trimmings in a big Saratoga trunk. When 

 these bugs alight you would think they 

 could never tuck the filmy wings under 

 these black shells at all ; but they fold them 

 all under very quickly and very neatly ; and 

 when the sun comes out they manage in 

 some way to get them spread without very 

 much fuss or bother either. When fighting 

 squash-bugs alone, sometimes I have been 

 tempted to waste, time in seeing the little 

 rascals fetch out their wings when I got at 

 them. My daughter, Mrs. Calvert, has a 

 pet canary bird that flies all over the house. 

 It alights on her head and shoulders, flits 

 from one hand to the other when she is do- 

 ing her work, and a study of the deft and 

 skillful way in which that bird uses its 

 wings awakens that same thrill you have 

 mentioned. The bird has become playful, 

 and it is the wonder of " Root village " to 

 see how much sense can be packed away in 

 such a little mite of golden feathers. No 

 doubt it is true that God takes away our 

 talents that are unused ; but don't you for- 

 get, dear friend, to mention that the reverse 

 is also true— 1 ' To him that hath shall be giv- 

 en " V Just as sure as we begin to develop 

 the talents we have. a. vast extent of unex- 

 plored region begins to unfold itself before 

 our wondering eyes ; and it is right in this 



