October 1, 1895.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



235 



find any author who does not employ metaphor to a greater 

 or lesser extent, and I am unable to see how objection can 

 be raised to the practice so long as everyone understands 

 that it is metaphor. Does Mr. Miller wish to condemn all 

 who speak of the sun risimj, of the moon ftttin;/, or of an 

 acid possessing greater ehrtire ailiniuj for one base than 

 for another '? May I also refer him to Darwin's " Origin 

 of Species," page 58 in the sixth edition, where the great 

 naturalist devotes a special argument in support of that 

 which Mr. Miller condemns. Speaking of the objections 

 which had been brought against his use of the terms 

 " Nature " and " Natural Selection," he says, " Everyone 

 knows what is meant by such metaphorical expressions, 



and they are almost necessary for brevity With 



a little familiarity such superficial objections will be 

 forgotten." 



Alfked .J. Johnson. 

 Boldmere, Erdington. 



HOOKED PROCESS ON EEES' MANDIBLES. 



To the Editor of Knowledge. 



Sir, — May I ask the attention of your readers to the 

 curious hooked process on the mandibles of the worker 

 bee '? I am not at all certain that they have been observed 

 before, as I find no reference or mention of them in various 

 works on bees, or in Chesire's " ]^>ees and Bee Keeping," 

 which I understand, from an authority at the Natural 

 History Museum, is the latest and standard work on the 



A. Mandible of AVorki'r Bee, showing hooks. B. Portion of liooked 

 process, more uiaguiliel. c. One hook still more luaguilied. 

 (Magnified 140 diameters.) 



subject. Indeed, they are not easy to make out, as the 

 mandible takes a long time to clear — the specimen which 

 enabled me to see them had been kept six months in 

 turpentine before mounting for the microscope. 



As will be seen by the accompanying illustration, the 

 hooks bear a great resemblance to those on the smaller 

 wing, which give the name to the Hymenoptera ; they are 

 nine in number, and run along a raised rib or buttress of 

 chitine, parallel with the cutting edge of the mandible. 

 The process begins at the lower end with soine hairs, 

 which are obviously later on modified, to form the hooks. 

 The difference between the hair and the hook is of interest, 

 the latter being much shorter and coming abruptly to a 

 somewhat blunt end. 



I have no practical knowledge of bees, but if I might 

 hazard a guess as to the use of the process (which I do 

 with diflidence), I would suggest for the purpose of hooking 

 on to the claws of the hind leg of the bee above, when 

 clustering. In favour of this view, I find that the hooks 

 are absent from the mandibles of the queen bee and of the 

 drone ; also from those of the humble bee and the queen 

 wasp. The queens and humble bee do not cluster, but I 

 am uncertain as to the drone ; this is one of the points on 

 which your readers might help me. 



The drawing is of the mandible flattened for mounting, 

 and gives quite a wrong idea as to the actual shape. 



Walter Wesche. 



92, Richmond Road, W. 



THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. "CHALLENGER" AND 

 ITS ACHIEVEMENTS. 



By H. N. Dickson, F.R.G.S. 



ONE of the officers of the famous expedition of the 

 Ficsiilutiiin and the Adventure concludes an account 

 of the voyage by expressing the pious hope that 

 the bright example of his great commander may 

 inspire future navigators " not only to perpetuate 

 his justly-acquired fame, but to imitate his labours for the 

 advancement of natural knowledge, the good of society, 

 and the true glory of Great Britain." It would be inter- 

 esting to know how far one of Captain Cook's shipmates 

 would consider the Challenijer Expedition a fulfilment of 

 his desires. We can imagine him finding much food for 

 reflection in the ways of the " philosophers " on board, or 

 in some volumes of the " Reports " ; but we may be sure 

 that along with Cook's second voyage he would " not 

 hesitate to pronounce it one of the most important that 

 ever was performed in any age, or by any country." Such 

 a deliverance would receive the unanimous approval of the 

 scientific world in these days. 



Although the last volume of the " Challcwjer Report " is 

 amongst the most recent Government publications, the 

 cruise itself is rapidly becoming ancient history, for three 

 and twenty years is along time in the history of modern 

 science. The Challemjer Expedition grew out of the 

 wonderful results obtained by \\'yville Thomson and his 

 coadjutors in the Faroe-Shetland Channel and the North- 

 East Atlantic on board the lAijhtninij (1K68) and the 

 Porcupine (1870). These results gave glimpses into a new 

 world, and it became clear that if science was ever to have 

 an adequate conception of the form or material of the 

 earth, or of the forces at work on its surface, this new 

 world must be explored with the same untiring patience 

 as was necessary in the more familiar regions above sea- 

 level. The first step was evidently to make a preliminary 

 survey of the whole situation, so as to gain a general view 



