101 • THE PHILOSOPHY 



wafp, the bee, and the ant. Many of the wafp kind, like 

 the bees, Hve in fociety, make combs in which the females 

 4epofit their eggs, and feed their caterpillars with an inferior 

 fpecies of honey. Others cf them conflrudl: a feparate neft 

 for each individual egg. The bee is an infedl too well known 

 to require a particular defcription. The males have no fting •, 

 but the females, and the drones, or neuters, have a very fliarp 

 pointed fting concealed in their abdomen. The female of 

 the honey bee is much larger than the male, or the neuter. 

 Her feelers contain fifteen articulations. Her abdomen is 

 compofed of feven fegments, and is much longer than her 

 wings. The feelers of the male contain only eleven articula- 

 tions. The neuters are much fmallar than the m.ales or fe- 

 males, and their feelers confift of fifteen articulations. The 

 fting, with which the male and female ards are armed, is con- 

 cealed within the abdomen. The males and females of the 

 ant are furnifhed with wings, but the neuters are deprived 

 of thefe inftruments of motion. The ants live in focieties 

 which are compofed of males, females, and neuters, The 

 males are much fmaller than the females and neuters. Soon 

 after the males and females propagate the fpecies, they all 

 die. Some of the neuters, however, farvive the winter ; 

 but they remain in their habitation without movement, or 

 difcovering any figns of life. From thefe circumfcances in 

 the hiftory of ants, it is apparent, that the induflry and fa- 

 gacity fo long and fq univerfally afcribed to thefe little ani- 

 jnals could be of no ufe either to thenifelves or their proge- 

 ny. The female, after depofiting her eggs, takes no farther 

 care of her offspring. But, what is fingular, the important 

 pifice of feeding the larvae^ or caterpillars, after the eggs 

 are hatched, is left entirely to the neuters. This afFecStionate 

 and afliduous attentionof the neuters to a progeny neither 

 begot nor brought forth by them, is fo aftonifhing, fo con- 



