44 Descriptive Zoology. 



are parasitic ; the larvae are found in the earth, in decay- 

 ing wood, in the living wood of hard trees, in manure, in 

 carrion, in fruits and seeds. 



Many are injurious ; others are beneficial, as the lady- 

 bugs, which destroy injurious insects. 



ORDER HYMENOPTERA. 



The Honeybee. Our honeybee is of European origin, 

 and has long been domesticated. Occasionally escaped 

 swarms live in a wild state. The three parts of the body, 

 namely, head, thorax, and abdomen, are very distinct ; 

 but it should be noticed that the prothorax, instead of 

 being immovably connected with the rest of the thorax, as 

 in the fly and many other insects, is movable. Another 

 feature, peculiar among insects, is the transferring of one 

 segment from the abdomen to the thorax, what appears 

 to be the last segment of the thorax being really the fore- 

 most segment of the abdomen. The second segment of 

 the abdomen (apparently the first) is slender, and allows 

 the abdomen to be bent sharply forward under the thorax ; 

 and nearly every one has learned, in a way that he will not 

 forget, how and why the bee does this. 



The two pairs of wings are membranous, the hind pair 

 being much smaller than the anterior. Along the front 

 margin of the hind wings is a row of hooks which catch on 

 a ridge at the hind edge of the front wings, so that in flight 

 the two wings work as one, in fact until the wings are 

 unhooked there seems to be but one pair. 



The mouth parts are peculiar. In most insects the mouth 

 parts are fitted either for biting or for sucking. In the bee 

 we find both sorts of structures. Mandibles are present, 

 and sometimes are strongly developed. But the food of 



