ANATOMY OF THE BBE. 25 



the lancets at c, c', the levers drive them down with the sheath, 

 and beyond it deeper into the wound. The poison sac {ps) 

 which is supplied by the poison glands [pg) discharges its con- 

 tents into the sheath, from which the poison is driven, with 

 much force, through channels in the. lancets and apertures be- 

 tween their barbs (D. o, o,) to the lowest part of the wound, 

 until (if the sting be not removed at once) the poison sac has 

 emptied itself. The barbs of the lancets fasten them into the 

 object stung; and, although if left undisturbed the bee is able, 

 by working it round after the manner of a screw, to withdraw 

 the sting (as one might withdraw a gimlet), the pain caused 

 by the injection of the poison generally prompts an immediate 

 assault upon the offender, who, in her effort to escape, fre- 

 quently leaves her sting in the flesh, and, attached to it, the 

 poison sac and gland. ■ These latter have a reflex action, and, 

 if not removed, may continue to inject poison into the wound 

 for some time after they have been separated from the bee. 



40. Palpi, or Feelers. — Quick as is the bee in her attack, she 

 will not proceed to sting until she has examined the surface 

 of the object to be pierced. For this she is provided with the 

 palpi, or feelers (Fig. g,A, p, p), which have sensitive hairs and 

 delicate nerve points, enabling the insect to discover whether 

 the particular spot selected for assault is capable of being 

 pierced. 



41. Queen's Sting — The sting of the queen is longer than 

 that of the worker, and is curved. As already stated (21), the 

 mother bee appears to realise the exceeding value of her life 

 to the colony, and to be unwilling to risk the loss of her sting 

 by incautious use. Unless in very exceptional circumstances, 

 it is not used by her as a weapon of offence or defence, and 

 then only, or chiefly, as against rival queens or other bees 

 (20). The drone has no sting, the sting being an essentially 

 female structure — in reality, a highly modified ovipositor, or 

 egg-laying apparatus. 



42. Organs of Drone. — The organs of the drone include two 

 testes (Fig. lo. A, t) in communication, by means of the two 

 tubes— tJdsa deferentia {vd) with two seminal vesicles {vs). 

 These vesicles discharge into two mucus glands (mg) from 

 which extends the ductus ejaculatorius (de) at the end of which 

 is found the organ of generation (o). The spermatozoa (B) 

 originate in the testes. As they mature, they pass into the 

 vesiculm seminales {vs) and, mingled with mucus from the glands 

 {mg), proceed continually through the ductus ejaculatorius (de) 

 into the bean (6) and, in mass, are called the spermatophore. 

 Coition takes place on the wing (21) when the pressure 

 of air in the tracheae and air vessels {h) assists the abdominsl 

 muscles in extruding the organs. These, by reason of certain 

 curved rings or ridges (A, r, and E, r') beneath the bean, may 

 not be withdrawn during coition ; and, with the expulsion of 



