AFFINITY AND ANALOGY. 4/ 



Saint Fargeau, upon hymenopterous insects, in which we 

 find the social character of these insects regarded as out- 

 weighing all other characters. The result of this is, that we 

 have the ants, wasps, hive bees, and humble-bees, united to- 

 gether, whilst the solitary wasps, and the Psithyri (para- 

 sitic bees, closely resembling the humble-bees), and all other 

 solitary or parasitic bees, are separated; although their 

 structure is in every respect almost identical, except in the 

 organs which are necessarily mochfied in the former, so 

 as to be fitted for the duties of their social character. Now, 

 this mode of distribution appears erroneous, because too 

 limited in respect to the great workings of the creature. 

 These social habits are but the results of a modification 

 of the instinct for securing the developement of the progeny 

 of these particular species, whilst the great object of these 

 insects in nature is overlooked. The solitary bee, which 

 burrows in rotten wood, and then forms its cell, exhibits as 

 much instinct as the humble-bee, which is the foundress of a 

 community. The wonders of the hive are but the exhibition 

 of a more highly developed instinct in building and provi- 

 sioning a nest. " In rejecting from the family of the humble 

 bees," observes Saint Fargeau, " the Euglossce of Latreille 

 (which that author had always inserted in the same group 

 with the former), I may remark, that in a system {dans un 

 systeme) the very long tongue may indicate a relationship 

 between Bombus and Euglossaj but in a natm-al method 

 {line methode naturelle), this length only indicates that both 

 are destined to gather honey from flowers having long and 

 narrow tubes, although their habits are in other respects en- 

 tirely different, as indicated by the structm'e of their hind 

 legs."* Here, however, the difference in habit between 

 these two tribes of bees is only such as is immediately 

 connected with their social or solitary nature, their entire 



* Hist. Nat. des Insectes Hymenoptferes, Paiis, 1836, p. 43S. 



