862 B E 



cubages itself from its cxuviie ; the organs which a 

 short time previously were but slighi.lv indicated by 

 the swellings on the grub's body, but which, if the 

 skin be stripped off, are nevertheless easily discernible, 







Grub stripped uf 



are now more clearly visible, and indeed may be 

 observed more easily than in the perfect state, since 

 at this period they are not covered with hairs as 

 they are subsequently. The pupa of the bee, in 

 fact, exhibits " ati elegant disposition and well- 

 ordered representation of all the limbs and parts of 

 the future bee ;" the various organs, however, remain 

 immoveable until the humours are exhaled and dis- 

 sipated, and hence it is that the bee, whilst in the 

 pupa state, weighs considerably more than in the 

 perfect state. In this state, therefore, we are able to 

 see the eyes, the antenna?, and the tongue lying 

 along the breast, as well as the rudimental wings 

 and the legs, which are extended from the sides of 

 the body along the belly. If all these parts be after- 



Pupa. 



wards removed out of their places, then the divisions 

 of the head, thorax, and abdomen, appear distinctly, 

 and we may ascertain the manner of the insertion ot 

 the legs, which is rendered more difficult in the per- 

 fect insect from the great quantity of hairs with which 

 the parts are covered. If the insect be inverted, the 

 three great divisions of the body are equally manifest. 

 The tongue of a bee, by which is understood the 

 apparatus with which it laps the nectar of flowers, is 

 a very complex instrument, and possesses great powers 

 of motion. As this organ has been very incorrectly 

 described in a modern popular work, we have thought 

 that it might not be without service to describe it 

 in detail. If we hold a bee by its wings, the mouth 

 at first sight appears to consist only of a small trans- 

 verse lip, and a pair of strong jaws having a lateral 

 motion. (See fig. 1). 



Bee's tongue. 



On further examination, however, a flattened instru- 

 ment, of a shining brown colour, is perceived extending 

 from the lip towards the throat this is the tongue, 

 and at the pleasure of the bee it can be projected for- 



ward, either in a straight or a curved form, so as to 

 resemble the beak of a bird, as is shown in figs. "2 and 

 .'}. It in reality consists of no less than five distinct 

 branches ; 1st, a central piece of very delicate struc- 

 ture, transversely ringed along the greater portion of 

 its length, having a small circular orifice at the extre- 

 mity ; this is the true tonyue or lingua, and from the 

 base of this ringed portion arises a pair of feelers, 

 which are scientifically termed the labial palpi, and 

 which are composed of lour joints, the basal one 

 being the longest; these organs, when at rest, an- 

 defended by a pair of scalv instruments, convex out- 

 wardly, and concave inwardly, each of which consists 

 of a basal and terminal portion, articulated near the 

 middle ; conjointly, these latter are termed the sheath. 

 and separately the demi-sheath. They correspond 

 with the maxillae of other insects possessing jaws, and 

 near the middle are furnished with a small lobe-like 

 joint, which is the only rudiment of the maxillary 

 feelers, which in many other bees are very visible, and 

 sometimes six-jointed. 



In the third figure the parts are seen from the 

 under side of the head, and one of the demi-sheaths 

 is drawn aside in order to show the manner in which 

 this part protects the tongue, the last joints of the 

 palpi are observed at the extremity of the tongue. 



From these figures, and especially from fig. 1 and 

 .'], it will be perceived that when unemployed, the 

 terminal portion of the demi-sheaths, the whole of the 

 labial palpi, and the ringed portion of the tongue, are 

 folded back upon the basal parting of the tongue and 

 demi-sheaths. 



Bee' 



The sting is an instrument scarcely less complex 

 in its structure than the tongue. The whole of its 

 mechanism is exhibited in the above figures. If a 

 bee be held in the fingers, a dart, not finer than the 

 point of the finest needle, is seen to be protruded 

 from the extremity of the body. If this delicate 

 instrument should be plunged into the finger by the 

 infuriated bee, it will in all probability be left there 

 before the bee can disengage itself, and the pain is 

 too well known to need any descriptive comment. 



It will be seen, from the above figures, that, 

 like the tongue, the sting is composed of five; 

 parts ; first, a pair of elongated flattened onrans, 

 between which, when unemployed, the extremity 

 of the sting is lodged ; second, the instrument itself, 

 which is so frequently seen protruded from the tail 

 of the bee, and which, upon a close examination, is 

 found to Consist of a canal having a gutter along 

 its upper edge, within which two darts of the most 

 exquisite construction play backwards and forwards, 

 and which are armed with fine teeth set backwards ; 

 the sting, by means of the strong muscles at its 

 base, is tlirust forward, as in fig. 2., and, from its 



